Tucson restaurant and bar workers displaced by the coronavirus are getting a hand up from Tucson’s Barrio Brewing Foundation Fund, which is donating $25,000 toward grocery gift cards.
Barrio Brewing Co. founders Dennis and Tauna Arnold launched the fund last fall with the intent of doing small gestures to help people in need.
The $25,000 will cover the cost of $50 grocery gift cards for 500 people.
Businesses can apply through the Tucson Metro Chamber by emailing abegody@tucsonchamber.org by the end of the day Friday, April 10. Be sure to include the business name and contact information.
“There are people in the business who live paycheck to paycheck,” Barrio co-founder Dennis Arnold said. “We came up with the idea … of grocery cards.”
It is the first campaign of the fund.
“There are people in the business who live paycheck to paycheck,” Dennis Arnold said. “We came up with the idea … of grocery cards.”
The Barrio fund donated the money for the gift card campaign to the Community Foundation for Southern Arizona, which has partnered with Greater Tucson Leadership to distribute the cards.
Restaurants and bars have until the end of the day Friday, April 10, to apply and each restaurant selected will receive five gift cards to distribute to workers, said Carrie Durham, Greater Tucson Leadership’s events and community relations director.
“There is not going to be enough money for everybody, but we are going to be able to reach 500 individuals,” Durham said, noting that going through the businesses and giving each the same number of cards ensures the effort will be fair.
Durham said they hope to distribute the cards to businesses next week.
Meanwhile, anyone wanting to donate to the Barrio Brewing Foundation Fund’s efforts can do so through the Greater Tucson Leadership’s website, greatertucsonleadership.org. Be sure to indicate that the donation is earmarked for the restaurant and bar workers relief efforts.
