NCRLA launches relief fund for hospitality workers

Image
Body

Note: To ensure all area residents to have important local information about the coronavirus health emergency, the Mitchell News-Journal has lifted its paywall and is providing unlimited access to virus-related articles on our website. We need your support to continue this important work. Please join your neighbors and become a subscriber today at www.mitchellnews.com or by calling 828-765-7169.

 

The North Carolina Restaurant and Lodging Association, or NCRLA, the trade association behind NC’s $23.5 billion hospitality industry, has launched a relief fund to provide fast access to cash for restaurant and hotel workers immediately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The NC Restaurant Workers Relief Fund will support any of the tens of thousands of restaurant and hotel employees now facing significant financial hardship as North Carolina businesses curtail services in efforts to encourage social distancing and slow the spread of the novel coronavirus. The goal of the NC Restaurant Workers Relief Fund is to provide qualified applicants with $500 to help with the immediate expenses faced by many who have suddenly found themselves without work.

The NC Restaurant Workers Relief Fund will be run through the NCRLA Foundation, the association’s long-standing nonprofit arm, which has provided financial assistance to hospitality employees and students for more than a decade. 

Created in response to the overwhelming number of applications to localized relief efforts popping up across the state, organizers behind the new fund hope that a consolidated effort will enable those affected to more easily access the financial help they need. 

It also welcomes employees from all facets of the hospitality industry to apply, including those working in bars and hotels. NCRLA’s track record for advocacy in the industry has also created opportunities for donors to join the effort, showing their unwavering support to those in need.

The NC Restaurant Workers Relief Fund is now open for any NC-based hospitality employees experiencing significant financial hardship related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Each applicant will be eligible to receive up to $500 in assistance, and determinations for the awards will be based on the level of demonstrated need, the number of years worked in the hospitality industry, and employer’s verification. 

Applications will be reviewed to award funds to qualified recipients as soon as possible.

Visit www.ncrestaurantrelief.com to donate and for more information.