The event has not only resulted in new relationships that will help us create additional fundraisers but has been an amazingly rich and grounding experience for me personally. I have had the privilege of working with so many kind and generous people who are passionate about their work, while helping others, and who prove that #StrongerTogether is much more than a hashtag. Immediate Results The foundation felt it important to use 100 percent of proceeds the OHF received from the Takeout promotion to benefit eligible restaurants because we wanted to make a significant impact with our first fundraising effort. Thanks to ticket sales, contributions from individuals and the Oregon Hospitality Foundation, and a generous donation from Grubhub, we collected enough money to support restaurants so that they can provide approximately 11,200 meals to those in need and to those on the front lines. First Award Recipients In mid-May, staff and foundation board members met to review applications. We are excited to recognize the beneficiaries of our first round of awards which will help them continue their programs. • Botanist House, Portland: Created a new model to use ongoing donations to hire drivers and deliver 750 meals per day to unemployed service industry professionals. • Restaurant O, Coos Bay: Sponsored meals for first responders through a Pay it Forward program to provide meals to homeless children and foster care families. • Rudy’s Steakhouse, Salem: Created the program, Crisis Meals to provide meals to first responders and unemployed workers. To date, Rudy’s has provided over 8,000 meals in the local Salem community. • 7 Devil’s Public House, Coos Bay: Created the Community Meal Program to provide family-sized take-and-bake meals to unemployed service industry workers, as well as comforting soup deliveries to the homeless community. • Toro Bravo Inc. Restaurant Group, Portland: Created the Feed it Forward PDX program to feed the homeless community at P:ear, Rose Haven, and New Avenues for Youth. They also provided free food bags for anyone in need and a sliding scale pay structure for meals to healthcare workers on the front lines.
Thank You As you probably have realized from your own experiences the past couple months, innovation is not something that can be accomplished alone. None of what OHF has accomplished thus far would be have been possible without the enthusiastic support of ORLA’s crew and the people and organizations below that expand and make our team even stronger. • Valerie H. Sasaki and her colleagues at Samuels Yoelin Kantor LLP who proactively offered pro bono assistance with the legal requirements and actions for OHF’s expansion and name change requirements. SamuelsLaw.com • The WHH Foundation that proactively reached out to see how they could support Oregon’s hospitality industry and provided a grant to assist us in our transitional needs. WHH-foundation.org • Annie Lundgren and her team at JOMA Films for their model partnership with Takeout & A Movie. Jomafilms.com • Grubhub Community Relief Fund for their generous donation to Takeout & A Movie. Grubhub.com • OHF’s volunteer Board of Directors for their expertise, enthusiasm, and guidance. Unfortunately, looking toward the upcoming fiscal year, the foundation anticipates a 75 percent drop in revenue due to contract funding changes. Your in-kind and financial contributions are greatly appreciated so that we may sustain and continue our good work. bit.ly/OHFDonation. WENDY POPKIN, OREGON RESTAURANT & LODGING ASSOCIATION
“Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you’ll be able to see further” - Thomas Carlyle About
Wendy Popkin is the Executive Director of the Oregon Hospitality Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the restaurant and lodging industry’s education and training needs as well as providing charitable work, economic relief, and technical assistance to the industry. Wendy is a 30+-year career veteran who describes herself as “fanatically enthusiastic about helping others enjoy the same type of fabulous career opportunities I have enjoyed in the hospitality industry.” Oregonrla.org/Foundation
See the press release for full details at Oregonrla.org/hospitalityhelp, and learn more about the fundraisers at Takeoutandamovie.com. Also, at press time, there were still funds available to award. If you, or anyone you know, fit the criteria please apply at Oregonrla.org/takeoutapp. OregonRLA.ORG 13