TABLE Journal launches the second emergency fund for workers of the Pittsburgh Meals Service Essen | Pittsburgh

click to enlarge

TABLE Magazine has launched another fundraiser to support Pittsburgh Food Service staff following the ongoing pandemic shutdown.

TABLE, a Pittsburgh lifestyle publication devoted to coverage of the city’s food and beverage scene, is asking people to support the Food Service Emergency Fund, which provides much-needed financial aid to servers, bartenders and others affected by the pandemic Food service experts distributed.

“Our local food scene has been hit by the COVID-19 crisis,” it says on the GoFundMe page. “Another mandatory indoor dining shutdown during the holiday season will be particularly difficult for service and support staff, many of whom rely on tips for income. Many more are paid hourly behind the scenes. These people, who often live from paycheck to paycheck, have no way of making an income. They need our help and they need it now. ”

This is the second crowdfunding campaign of its kind by TABLE and its partners. Much like the previous restaurant and grocery emergency fund launched in March, the current campaign aims to distribute $ 150 to every skilled worker who applies for funding.

So far, the final round has raised $ 6,570 from its $ 50,000 goal.

TABLE editor Justin Matase says the magazine restarted the emergency grant program as a “lifeline for all those food service folks who are out of work during the holiday season”. He cites testimonials from two previous fellows who said, “The fellowship paid for my phone this month and helped so much !!!” and “At a time when I had no idea what was going to happen next, it was the surprise I needed. A little more hope. ”

“When we learned that restaurants were closing before Christmas, we knew we had to do something,” said Matase, who was previously co-editor of Pittsburgh City Paper. “When we thought of all the wonderful memories we had in restaurants, the bread broken and the drinks clinked, we ultimately thought of the people who make those memories possible.”

Qualified applicants must have worked for a food service establishment in Allegheny County in the past 180 days and have either experienced a “reduction in hours or cessation of employment due to the COVID-19 crisis.”

Any unclaimed additional funds will be donated to the Community Kitchen Project, a nonprofit organization focused on developing a workforce in the adult food service sector who face employment barriers.

“Our goal is $ 50,000, with TABLE providing incentives throughout the process,” says Matase. “We hope to start sales as soon as possible as applications are already in. The need is so great that I am sure we will exceed the number of applicants we can meet at $ 50,000. ”

Across the country, the duration of the pandemic has put a heavy strain on the restaurant and bar industry. Locally owned small businesses are facing a particularly bleak situation that is only expected to worsen during the winter months when al fresco dining is no longer an option. Tighter indoor eating restrictions are being put in place around which continues to deteriorate Contain the spread of COVID-19.

As City Paper recently reported, servers returning to their jobs are now exposed to customer harassment, risky working conditions, and much lower tips, which sheds light on the underpaid, exploitative, and often abusive nature of service work.

Interested applicants can register using a form at tablemagazine.com/restaurantfund. TABLE reviews applicants in the order in which they register.

“We humbly ask for your generous support to help these people this holiday season to exceed our goal and share that ‘little extra hope’,” says Matase.