HOSPITALITY WORKERS RELIEF

Restaurant Workers Relief Program

Started by The Lee Initiative, donations to the Restaurant Workers Relief Program goes directly to feeding the workers of the independent restaurant industry that now find themselves out of work.  All donations from each city will go to fund the participating restaurant in your city to help feed more people in need. Participating cities include Louisville, Washington DC, Los Angeles, Seattle, Cincinnati, Brooklyn, Denver, Chicago, Atlanta, Lexington, Boston, San Francisco, and New Orleans. More to come!

United States Bartender's Guild (USBG)

The United States Bartender’s Guild has created an emergency relief fund for bartenders and their families.

Children of Restaurant Workers (CORE)

Children of Restaurant Worker’s (CORE) serves food and beverage to employees with children, who are faced with life-altering circumstances and in need of help from COVID-19.

World Central Kitchen

Founded by chef José Andrés, World Central Kitchen is the nonprofit that provides emergency food relief to areas hit by disasters. They have started a COVID-19 response fund called #ChefsForAmerica, which is focused on locating gaps in existing food programs, delivering fresh meals to communities in need, and founding a network of community kitchens. For more information, Andrés also just wrote an opinion piece for The New York Times about mobilizing the restaurant industry to help those in need during the crisis.

California Restaurants Association

The California Restaurant Association’s Restaurants Care program provides one-time financial support to restaurant employees facing an unforeseen hardship. They are currently issuing grants, which help cover basic living expenses such as rent, food and utilities, in the following order of priority:

(1) Diagnosed with coronavirus (COVID-19) or those who have been quarantined with a doctor’s note
(2) Caregivers for an immediate family member who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or quarantined with a doctor’s note
(3) Restaurant closed and out of work 3 weeks or more and no unemployment benefits
(4) Out of work less than 3 weeks

Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation

Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation addresses issues that affect the food service industry. Right now, RWCF is organizing a COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund directing money toward individual workers facing hardship and health crises as well as providing zero-interest loans to get restaurants back off the ground when this is all over.