Helping Houston’s Hospitality Industry

The coronavirus has dealt a serious blow to Houston’s workers. One employment forecast estimates that Houston could lose as many as 44,000 jobs by the end of 2020, with one of the most impacted industries being hospitality. 

That’s the bad news. 

In good news, Houston has a history of resilience. Whether it was Hurricane Harvey, the Memorial Day flood, or the most recent economic recession, residents are known to step up to help one another. 

This disaster is no exception. Already, we’ve seen communities and non-profits mobilize to help our frontline healthcare workers. We’ve seen children connect with each other safely and spread joy to their neighborhood through song. We’ve seen people reach out to neighbors, connecting during a time filled with anxiety and isolation.
 
Similarly, individuals and corporations have been working nonstop to provide meals and relief to workers who have been laid off. Below you’ll find a list of programs in place to help unemployed hospitality workers. Each of these programs are accepting donations or are looking for assistance. 

Second Servings’ “Dinner’s On Us” program
Second Servings, a prepared and perishable food rescue organization, has launched an initiative in partnership with Hess Corporation and Sysco to distribute 10,000 meals each week to unemployed hospitality staff. Every Tuesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., the meals are distributed in a contact-free drive-through procedure by Second Servings’ volunteers at 702 Avenida De Las Americas. The meals serve 7-8 people and feature hearty comfort food. Those 16 and older can sign up to volunteer at the distribution site. You can also help by donating to Second Servings here. Read more about Second Servings here.

Pop-Up Kitchen   
Organized by Houston City Council member Letitia Plummer, Pop-Up Kitchen helps feed Houstonians who have become unemployed, including but not limited to hospitality workers, during the coronavirus pandemic. Plummer teamed up with a group of Houston chefs to launch this donation-based initiative, which aims to feed 100 people a day April 8-12 and April 14-19. Participating chefs develop their own daily menu and volunteer their time to cook out of the Seaside Lounge kitchen, at 702 W. Dallas St, using ingredients purchased through donations from private donors. Meals are given to Houstonians free-of-charge with proof of unemployment. Chefs interested in donating their time can sign up here. Houstonians interested in donating to help purchase food can visit this page.
  
Southern Smoke Foundation
Founded by chef Chris Shepherd, the Southern Smoke Foundation is a crisis relief organization for people in the food and beverage industry. Since it was founded in 2015, the organization has distributed more than $1.3 million to individuals in the food and beverage industry who are in crisis. Restaurant owners can apply here for funds and individuals can donate to the organization here.
 
Bartender Emergency Assistance Program  
The United States Bartenders Guild’s National Charity Foundation has established emergency grants for bartenders and their families who are in crisis. Visit this website to donate.  

Houston Shift Meal
Created by publicist Jonathan Beitler and sommelier Cat Nguyen, Houston Shift Meal is a non-profit that funds restaurants that provide free meals to hospitality workers who have lost their jobs. The organization is accepting sponsorships and donations from suppliers, businesses and individuals. Donations will go directly to participating restaurants; for every $250 received, a restaurant will be able to produce between 50 and 75 meals. Donate here.

MFE Food is Love  
MFE Food is Love, the non-profit arm of food distribution company Marine Foods Express, is helping recently laid off or furloughed hospitality workers by paying them to work at the Houston Food Bank up to 40 hours a week. MFE Foods is compensating those workers at a rate of $7.25 per hour. The program was originally planned for up to 4,000 hours through April 4, but they are asking the community for donations in order to continue the program for another month. Donations can be made here.

Editor's note: Find a list of resources for helping out first responders and healthcare workers here.