Help restaurant and bar workers by donating to this relief fund that launched today
TL;DR A relief fund has been set up to assist Montreal's restaurant workforce during the COVID-19 crisis.
Amid the spread of the novel coronavirus, more than 7,000 restaurants and bars across Montreal have closed their doors or are operating a limited capacity. The downturn has left thousands of chefs, dishwashers, bartenders, and front-of-house staff temporarily out of work or unemployed.
In response, Foxy sommelier Kaitlin Doucette has teamed up with Jessica Cytryn, a food and wine law worker with more than 10 years experiences in the industry, and a volunteer group of organizers to found Montreal Restaurant Workers Relief Fund (MRWRF). Launched today, the initiative aims to collect contributions from individual and corporate donors on GoFundMe to support the impacted workforce.
“The fund is meant to provide a little bit of a safety net in very uncertain times,” Doucette tells us. The idea for the concept is modelled in part off a similar effort in New York City called the Restaurant Workers Community Foundation COVID-19 Crisis Relief Fund, who Doucette consulted with while establishing the framework for the Montreal campaign.
The goal is to offer quick financial aid to those unable to pay for bills, groceries, health products, and other urgent needs. Direct payments in $50, $100, and $150 amounts will be transferred within a few days to applicants who are asked to submit a short form and provide proof of employment, such as a pay stub, if possible. “It was really a resp