Say what you will about Guy Fieri – and who hasn’t? But he’s given back to a lot to the community already, and now he’s going one step further with a special campaign to raise relief funds for foodservice sector workers. Interim results show, it helps when the asker is a celebrity…
Most folks think of Guy Fieri as a crazy, unpredictable, often ostentatious celebrity Chef who is likely to do or say just about anything. But there’s another side of this colourful character that deserves some exposure.
Fieri invariably gets out and brings mobile Barbecue kitchens to disaster sites across the US to feed first responders and ordinary folks who need emergency food. He’s also the founder of several charities that encourage food education and kitchen training for kids. And now he’s teamed with the National Restaurant Association (NRA) Educational Foundation to support out-of-work restaurant staffers during the COVID-19 crisis.
The Restaurant Employee Relief Fund
The Restaurant Employee Relief Fund (RERF) aims to send (US)$500 cheques to restaurant workers who have lost their jobs either temporarily or permanently due to the COVID-19 pandemic lock down.
“My entire career has been in the restaurant business,” Fieri, host of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, said in a news release. “From bussing tables to flambé captain to dishwasher to Chef… I’ve done it all.
“I’ve also spent the better part of the last 15 years traveling this great country meeting other folks who’ve dedicated their lives to this business and let me tell you something, they are the hardest working, most real deal workers you’ve ever met… the heartbeats of their communities,” he continued. “But they need our help and, with Restaurant Relief America, we can serve up some support when these restaurant employees need it most… right now.”
The NRA estimates that up to 75 percent of independent (non-chain) U.S. restaurants will not re-open after the COVID-19 lock down is
What he’s accomplished
As of last Thursday, Fieri reported (via TMZ.com) that his effort had raised , more than (US)$21 million and the donations were still coming in. And the RERF has already awarded more than 40,000 of those (US)$500 relief grants.
He told TMZ that he simply sent personalized invitations to personalized invitations to ‘heavy hitter’ CEOs in the food and restaurant industry asking them to donate to the fund. So far, organizations from TikTok to PepsiCo have become involved.
If that wasn’t enough, Fieri is staging a ‘Nacho Showdown’ between himself and comedian (and well-known fellow philanthropist) Bill Murray (see poster, left),to be broadcast live on The Food Netwoek this coming Fruday at 5 p.m. EST. And he’s launched a limited-edition Flavourtown beverage cooler in cooperation with Igloo Coolers to raise even more cash.
So, no matter what you say..
No matter what you say about Guy Fieri – and who doesn’t? – there’s a lot more to this wild and crazy Chef than many folks realize. American restaurant workers who need an emergency grant can apply at the RERF website. Anyone can donate online at the same place…
~ Maggie J.