*During Thursday, June 11’s Instagram Live update, USBG National Charity Foundation volunteer board member Kim Haasarud gave an update on the numbers. 28,500 bartenders have received grants to date, and that number continues to grow. $8.6 million has been dispersed to date. Thanks to the contributes of over 4,300 donors, $9 million has been raised. The USBG Foundation currently has enough money to help another 2,000 applicants.
On Monday, June 15, the acceptance of new applications will be paused as the USBG Foundation works to fundraise more money. Haasarud did say that the COVID-19 relief grant program will remain operational until there is no more money left to give.
The USBG National Charity Foundation announces that it has disbursed a total of 27,500 grants totaling $8.5 million through its Bartender Emergency Assistance Program COVID-19 Relief Campaign.
“As an organization, we’re proud to provide a small cushion to thousands of those in our community who have seen their livelihoods adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said USBG National Charity Foundation volunteer board member Kim Haasarud. “These are bartenders, bar backs, and bar servers from all fifty states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the majority of whom have worked full-time in the bar industry for more than a decade. All have found themselves experiencing some level of food insecurity, housing insecurity, medical needs, or a combination of those things.”
Via the COVID-19 Relief Campaign, modest, yet meaningful emergency grants of $150-500 drawn from generous donations have, since April 8, been allocated to eligible applicants with the intention of supplementing federal relief programs that are designed to help with larger, sustained expenses.
The Foundation also announces that as of 11:59 p.m. Pacific on Monday, June 15, it will suspend acceptance of new grant applications through its COVID-19 Relief Campaign.
Continued Haasarud, “This is one of the heartbreaking realities we’re forced to stare down. Right now we have $8.5 million in committed donations – enough in donations to fund a total of 30,000 grants. We need a total of $18 million to fund grants for all eligible applicants that we currently have. As such, on Monday, June 15 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific, we will pause acceptance of new applications while we continue to fundraise in an effort to help as many of those eligible applicants already in our system.”
More information on the USBG National Charity Foundation’s COVID-19 Relief Campaign can be found here.
