WGNO

Greater New Orleans Foundation announces additional $194K in grants for service and hospitality workers

NEW ORLEANS, LA – On Monday, the Greater New Orleans Foundation (GNOF) announced $194,000 in new grants from its Louisiana Service & Hospitality Family Assistance Program.

The grants are part of an initiative to support low-income restaurant, hotel, bar, catering and event staffing company employees who have been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and who are working hard to support their dependent children and elderly parents.

Total grants from the program now total over $1.4 million.

The program, launched with leading contributions from

“Given the announcement of substantial additional layoffs in our region’s hotels and restaurants in recent weeks, the aid this fund provides to families in Southeast Louisiana is even more critical,” said Andy Kopplin, President and CEO of the Greater New Orleans Foundation. “Thanks to the investment of so many additional supporters, we are thrilled to announce we have the resources to make available another round of family assistance grants.”

The 194 grants awarded in this new round from the Louisiana Service & Hospitality Family Assistance Program will help the families of unemployed bar, hotel, and restaurant workers. Of the recipients, 11 were employed at bars, 103 at hotels, 70 at area restaurants, 7 at catering companies, and 3 at event planning companies with an average annual income of $28,600 per year, raising between one and four children. This pandemic has adversely impacted working families in all southeast Louisiana communities. Round IV grant recipients are residents of Jefferson, Orleans, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. John the Baptist, St. Tammany, and Terrebonne parishes. 

“New Orleans’ Hospitality Industry is the life line of our city,” said Pepper Baumer, President of Baumer Foods, Inc. “These workers are the reason New Orleans has the  reputation it does across the globe. They are the ambassadors of our city, and why people want to come visit! Not only is it our duty to help support these individuals, it’s also the right thing to do. That’s what makes New Orleans, New Orleans! We are always willing to help one another.”

Applications for the next round of Louisiana Service & Hospitality Family Assistance Program grants will be accepted until Friday, August 28, 2020 at 5 pm. Apply here.

All questions should be emailed to assistance@gnof.org.
 
To qualify, individuals applying must:

To support this program’s expansion, please donate to the Gayle Benson Community Assistance Fund at the Greater New Orleans Foundation by visiting www.gnof.org/benson.