Since March, the majority of restaurants in Pittsburgh have been entirely closed, open for takeout only, or open sporadically with very limited seating. Due to this sudden and drastic decrease in available work (and also being disproportionately exposed to the virus when performing available work), restaurant workers have been acutely affected by the COVID 19 pandemic.
I lost my own restaurant industry job in March when Ace Hotel Pittsburgh closed and subsequently decided not to reopen. I was lucky to already have a functioning e-commerce website, and focusing more energy on Flux Bene has kept me afloat these past months. Many of my friends work in the restaurant industry, and for those who didn't have an income stream to fall back on, things have been tougher. For those with families to support, the year has been extra tough.
Pittsburgh Restaurant Workers Aid organized in response to the COVID 19 pandemic, with the mission to "provide resources and community support to restaurant and hospitality workers who have lost financial, housing, food, and healthcare security."
In 2019 there were 580,000 people working in the restaurant industry in Pennsylvania, 10% of the state's total workforce. The affect that this pandemic has had on the livelihood of those individuals can't be overstated.
Here is how you can help, and also have a chance to win a $150 Flux Bene gift card:
Pittsburgh Restaurant Worker's Aid has compiled a Target registry to collect coats and toys for the children of Restaurant Workers this holiday season:
Simply purchase one or more items from this registry, totaling $15 or more, and send your receipt to me at rebekah@fluxbene.com
The Details:
- Each person is eligible for one entry.
- Items purchased from the registry will automatically be shipped to PRWA, who will distribute them to families in need.
- I will respond to each entry that is emailed to me. If you do not receive a response from me by Friday at 4pm, please send me a poke in case I missed your message
- The entry period ends at 3pm this Friday 12/11, and the winner will be announced at 5pm on Friday
- The $150 gift card will be delivered via email, and can be used for anything on our website. The gift card will never expire.
- The gift card can be gifted to someone else if you like!
- Flux Bene & Rebekah Joy are not linked or affiliated with PRWA, we just care and want to help
When I was a kid, there were at least two holiday seasons when my mom received gifts for me that had been donated by kind strangers. One year, I received a basketball because another kid probably asked for one, and things got mixed up. I don't know what I would have asked for that year, but I hope that the other kid liked it. I am reasonably good at basketball because of that gift mix-up, and I have never forgotten the feeling of knowing that a stranger thought that I was special enough to deserve a gift, even though they hadn't met me. Random giving means a lot to the giver, and from experience I can tell you that it also means a lot to the receiver. Children remember things like that.
If you want to give more, there is also a PRWA registry for household and food items.
Thank you Everyone!!
We will have new work up on the site this Saturday at 12pm EST.
If you win the gift card, you can use it then! (Or whenever you want)
Love,
Rebekah Joy