We’re holding all food & beverage workers close this holiday season. A few important reminders:

Southern Smoke’s offices will be closed from December 24, 2025, to January 4, 2026 to give our team a chance to reset before the new year. We look forward to connecting on Monday, January 5, 2026.

Emergency Relief Fund: Applications will be paused from December 17, 2025, to January 4, 2026. If you have an ongoing case, you can continue working with your case manager. If you are seeking financial assistance due to a crisis, please check back and apply when applications reopen on January 5.

Behind You Mental Health Program: Applications remain open, and services will be available in January. The earlier you apply, the quicker we can determine eligibility, and you can be ready for when services commence.

Texas Hill Country Floods: Applications closed on 12/16.

Sarah McReynolds, LMSW

Mental Health Program Manager

Sarah McReynolds, born and raised in Houston, is currently based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Sarah is passionate about mental health, her community of friends and family, and learning.

Sarah graduated from Tulane University with her Master’s degree in Social Work in May 2023. She pivoted her career from working at a creative / communications agency, Giant Noise, into social work after experiencing her own mental health struggles. While in school, she worked on the marketing and operations team at an online clinical supervision platform, Motivo Health, and completed her field placement at an acute psychiatric facility, River Oaks Hospital. With this varied experience, she is ecstatic about working on the macro side of social work with Southern Smoke to expand the Behind You program and continue emergency relief efforts.

In her free time, Sarah enjoys exploring all the city has to offer in the form of food, live music, and art.