Restaurant workers who lost their jobs due to closings sparked by the coronavirus can get paid for doing shifts for the El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank.
The El Paso Community Foundation on Tuesday announced the Get Shift Done for El Paso initiative, which will provide pay of $10 an hour to hospitality workers left jobless by the pandemic.
The program started April 4 with the first of 40 daily shifts.
El Paso is the second city to roll out the initiative. The first one was launched by a Dallas business and community leaders with the support of various restaurant owners and nonprofit organizations.
“Thanks to an incredible team in North Texas, we were able to adapt this innovative program,” said Eric Pearson, president and CEO of the El Paso Community Foundation. “This helps hospitality workers — who represent 31% of unemployment claims in the area — fill essential, caring jobs, and maintain the dignity of hard work.”
El Pasoans Fighting Hunger, El Paso’s only food bank, distributes food to more than 130 partner agencies and programs, including pantries, churches and shelters in El Paso, Culberson, and Hudspeth counties.
Workers can register and schedule shifts at getshiftdone.org/el-paso-worker-sign-up.
To donate to the program, visit payments.epcf.org/getshiftdone.
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$1 million matching grant program for food bank
On Monday, the Paul L. Foster Family Foundation and the Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Foundation, in partnership with the MountainStar Sports Group Foundation, established a $1 million matching grant program for the food bank.
“El Pasoans Fighting Hunger plays a key role in our community by ensuring that any family experiencing food insecurity in El Paso has access to meals,” Woody L. Hunt, co-owner of MountainStar Sports Group and chairman of the Hunt Family Foundation, said in a news release. “As more families face new financial constraints due to COVID-19, we want to help make sure those families are still able to put food on their tables and that no one in our community suffers from hunger during this crisis.”
Stuart R. Schwartz, El Pasoans Fighting Hunger board president, said…
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