As long as a person in need has worked in the industry for at least six months at 30+ hours/week, they are eligible to apply for support. The information below reflects the overarching demographics of fund awardees from our founding through today. What isn’t shown is each person’s story. To hear firsthand how donations have helped individuals, follow the smoke to our About page.
The Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation (RWCF) was one of the very first organizations to contact Southern Smoke in solidarity and partnership. Since then, RWCF has raised and donated $3,700,000 to Southern Smoke, making it the largest organizational contributor to the Emergency Relief Fund, and helping thousands of F&B workers in crisis: comprising almost two-thirds of our overall grant dollars awarded for 2020.
Southern Smoke is overwhelmed with gratitude to RWCF and all other supporters, large and small, as we could absolutely not have helped the thousands of grantees we have without these innumerable fundraising efforts and this unfettered generosity. We are also infinitely thankful to have been entrusted with these dollars and to the thousands of donors who had faith that we would be wise stewards with their donations.
$1 MILLION & ABOVE
Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation
Anonymous Donors (Chicago Restaurant Workers Relief Fund)
David Chang via Who Wants to be a Millionaire
$500,000 — $999,000
Tito’s Handmade Vodka
$250,000 — $499,000
Adam Clark Sinn
$100,000 — $249,000
A Night for Austin via Austin Community Foundation
DIAGEO
Emeril Lagasse Foundation
Hair Food via Proctor & Gamble
Hot Luck LLC
DoorDash
Republic National Distributing Company
Sazerac AP
YETI
Anonymous Donor
$50,000 — $99,000
Hourglass Wine Company
Houston Texans Foundation
Houston Area Lexus Dealers
Stand with Austin via Austin Community Foundation
The Wine & Food Foundation of Texas
Please also note our 2020 year-end report, comprising where and to whom these dollars have been distributed thus far, while highlighting our newly created programs and accomplishments over the last year.
