CITY NEWS
ARIZONA RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES ARIZONA TAKEOUT WEEK ORGANIZATION OFFERS SUPPORT OF LOCAL RESTAURANTS AMID CORONAVIRUS MANDATED CLOSURES THE ARIZONA RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION (ARA) IS RESPONDING TO THE RECENT STATE OF EMERGENCY BY CREATING AN ALL NEW MARKETING STRATEGY TO HELP SUPPORT LOCAL DINING ESTABLISHMENTS WITH THE DEBUT OF ARIZONA TAKEOUT WEEK. Harnessing the energy from the wellattended Spring and Fall AZ Restaurant Weeks, AZ Takeout Week will help restaurants and those diners who depend on them for daily sustenance, survive what is an unprecedented crisis in the industry. The ARA is pleased to announce Arizona Takeout Week, which is now in effect and will run through the entirety of Coronavirus closures. The initiative serves to help diners and those who depend on dining
establishments as a food source find restaurants offering pick-up, curbside, and delivery options during this time and aid restaurants in marketing their service options during the closure. “We appreciate and thank Governor Ducey for his efforts in working with the restaurant industry to mitigate the spread of the Coronavirus,” says Arizona Restaurant Association President and CEO Steve Chucri. “The Arizona restaurant family appreciates his work and that of all elected leaders in our state during this unparalleled time in our history.” The culinary industry has a powerful impact on the state’s economy — and residents’ livelihoods. There are more than 10,000 dining establishments that employ more than 229,000 staff with annual restaurant sales of $13.4 billion. “At the end of the day, we are the
industry of ‘happy’ — that is what the hospitality industry represents. We hope to bring a bit of happiness to Arizonans during this extremely difficult time through Arizona Takeout Week while keeping our employees and restaurants afloat,” Chucri says. The event already has more than 100 participating restaurant locations. This initiative is free for restaurants and all are invited to email their current menus and service hours to takeout@ azrestaurant.org. Diners are encouraged to go to the official Arizona Takeout Week website at www.aztakeoutweek. com to learn more and start dining on the go! About the Arizona Restaurant Association: Dedicated to helping its members become leaders in their communities through building customer loyalty, escalating awareness of food
safety and healthy living, bolstering a thriving industry and rewarding workforce, and increasing financial success, the Arizona Restaurant Association is the brainchild behind events that support the state’s culinary scene including Arizona Restaurant Week and the Foodist Awards. For more information, visit www. azrestaurant.org.
DONATIONS TO QUALIFYING NONPROFITS FOR ARIZONA
TAX CREDITS MUST STILL BE MADE BY APRIL 15 EXTENSION OF TAX FILING DEADLINE DOES NOT AFFECT CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS ARIZONA TAXPAYERS CONSIDERING DONATIONS TO QUALIFYING NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS FOR ARIZONA TAX CREDITS ON THEIR 2019 INCOME TAX RETURNS MUST STILL MAKE THOSE CONTRIBUTIONS BY APRIL 15 EVEN WITH THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TREASURY DECISION TO EXTEND FILING DEADLINES TO JULY 15 FOR ARIZONA AND FEDERAL RETURNS. Qualifying charitable organizations include 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations, foster care organizations public schools and certified school tuition organizations. “Nonprofits in Arizona are facing severe financial challenges and if, by making direct donations, they can benefit at the same time that Arizona taxpayer’s benefit, it’s a win-win,” said Alliance of Arizona Nonprofits Chief Executive Officer Kristen Merrifield. This week, the Alliance released results of a survey north32ndnews.com
of Arizona nonprofit organizations showing that nearly 90% of the 425 respondents have been or expect to be significantly impacted by the spread of COVID-19 or coronavirus with the total loss of reported revenue at $36 million as of March 24. Merrifield said that additional steps have been taken to provide expanded support through the upcoming Arizona Gives Day 24-hour online fundraising campaign, a collaboration with Arizona Grantmakers Forum and presented by FirstBank, on April 7, including: • An Emergency Relief Fund giving donors the option to increase donations as an add-on at check out or through direct donation at www.azgives.org/ aznonprofits. All funds will be distributed equally among participating nonprofits. • Re-opening registration to allow organizations that had to cancel fundraisers, programs and other events that originally chose not to participate to be able to benefit from the fundraiser. The new registration deadline is March 27: and • A group of donors has provided separate funding enabling the Alliance to waive payment-processing
fees normally paid by nonprofits participating in Arizona Gives Day, allowing more funds to go directly to the nonprofits. For more information about the Nonprofit Emergency Relief Fund, visit wwwazgives.org/ relieffund. For more information about the Arizona Gives Day, visit www.azgives.org. NORTH 32ND NEWS • April 2020 • 5
