Ways to Support Your Local Restaurants and Communities During Covid-19

Businesses and vulnerable communities need our help more than ever, and it can be challenging to find ways to contribute when you have to stay at home. Many of you have been ordering delivery or takeout from local restaurants and spreading the word about initiatives that need support. Here are a few more ways to make a difference in the lives of local workers and communities, and in global efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19. 

Support restaurants and restaurant workers

• Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund (@rwcfusa) A nationwide community dedicated to making the restaurant industry more hospitable for everyone, RWCF is accepting donations for direct relief to individual restaurant workers, donations to nonprofit organizations serving restaurant workers in crisis, and zero-interest loans to get restaurants up and running again.

• Restaurant Opportunities Centers United Relief Fund (@roc_united) ROC United is providing resources and financial assistance to restaurant workers impacted by the COVID health crisis. You can donate to their Disaster Relief Fund, and learn more about resources for restaurant workers, on their website.

• One Fair Wage Emergency Coronavirus Tipped and Service Worker Support Fund (@1fairwage_official) One Fair Wage has created an emergency fund to provide cash assistance to restaurant workers, delivery workers and other hourly workers who need immediate support.

• Another Round Another Rally (@anotherroundanotherrally) Another Round Another Rally is offering $500 relief grants for hospitality workers (from dishwashers to sommeliers) who lost their jobs or had their hours cut because of COVID-19. They’re collecting donations from people who want to help friends and neighbors in the hospitality industry stay afloat.

• SaveRestaurants.co / Independent Restaurants Coalition (@indprestaurants) The IRC was formed to save local restaurants affected by COVID-19 and is working with lawmakers to bring some relief to the restaurant industry. They’re proposing a 6-month income replacement program for restaurant staff and a grant program to help restaurants pay suppliers. Learn more about getting involved (by calling local officials, and more) on their website. 

• James Beard Foundation Food and Beverage Industry Relief Fund  (@beardfoundation) This relief fund is providing financial assistance to small, independent restaurants that have been affected by COVID-19 with the goals of sustaining local business and reducing the financial impact on communities. They’re currently gathering support from corporate, foundation and individual donors to provide micro-grants to independent food and beverage businesses in need. 

Provide vulnerable communities with the immediate meals they need to survive

• No Kid Hungry (@nokidhungry) Many schools are closed because of COVID-19, which means vulnerable children are losing the healthy meals they depend on. No Kid Hungry estimates that over 438 million school meals have already been missed. They’re helping bring families the meals they need, providing emergency grants to food banks and community groups, and more.  

• Feeding America (@feedingamerica) Feeding America is supporting food banks and communities across the country who are desperately in need of food. 

• World Central Kitchen (@wckitchen) Chefs for America has delivered meals to quarantined cruise ship passengers from Japan to California, and their relief team is currently serving close to 100,000 fresh meals per day across the country. They’re also helping put restaurants back to work, feeding healthcare workers and mapping feeding efforts. 

• Meals on Wheels America (@mealsonwheelsamerica) Meals on Wheels delivers meals to vulnerable seniors across the country. Protecting this population from COVID-19 while continuing to deliver this vital service requires emergency funds to subsidize food, transportation, and personnel costs. 

• I Love You Restaurant / Midnight Mission (@iloveyourestaurant / @themidnightmission) Midnight Mission is serving thousands of takeout meals a day to vulnerable families and homeless populations in Los Angeles.

Help underrepresented groups in food

• La Cocina (@lacocinasf) La Cocina is supporting their entrepreneurs in securing rent abatement, loan forgiveness + employee assistance, and created the La Cocina Emergency Relief Fund to provide their entrepreneurs with cash payments to cover basic expenses. They’re also allowing businesses to continue producing in their Mission kitchen, and waiving  kitchen fees for La Cocina businesses in February and March. 

• FoodtoEat (@foodtoeat) Food to Eat is a woman-owned corporate catering concierge service that works with food businesses run by women, immigrants and minorities in New York City. 

Support hospital workers

• Frontline Foods (@frontlinefoods) Through their COVID Clinician Meal Support Program, Frontline Foods is helping local restaurants and healthcare workers by purchasing meals and delivering them to hospitals in over 20 locations around the country.

• Off Their Plate (@offtheirplate) Off their plate provides nutritious meals to hospital workers and in turn restores jobs for restaurant industry workers who have lost them. They’re currently serving the Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York and Pittsburgh areas. 

Donate to global response funds

• COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund for @WHO (@WHO) The World Health Organization is leading and coordinating the global effort to fight the COVID-19 health crisis by helping countries prevent, detect, and respond to the pandemic. You can support their response fund and learn more about their Strategic Preparedness Response Plan on their website.

• Emergency Response Fund (@CDCFound) The CDC Response Fund helps the CDC respond to crisis situations, like the Ebola Outbreak, Hurricane Katrina and now the COVID-19 pandemic, by giving them the speed and flexibility they need to save lives.

This isn’t a comprehensive list – many more organizations across the country are working to help those in need during this crisis. Have some in mind? Share them on social media to get the word out. Thank you for supporting small businesses and others hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Together, let’s save the restaurants we love.