Local restaurants have raised tens of thousands of dollars to keep their staff employed while showing appreciation to health care heroes.
Jordan Tampien is part-owner of Goodwin Group Properties, which includes Brick West Brewing Company, The Backyard Public House, Remedy Kitchen & Tavern and Barnwood Social.
He and his team launched a GoFundMe called “Help a Restaurant, Help a Hero” that is aimed at getting staff back to work while donating meals to medical workers and first responders.
“These medical professionals and first responders don’t always get a lot of notoriety for what they do,” Tampien told the Downtown Spokane Partnership. “While this fundraiser allows for us to keep our doors open, it also gives these local heroes the recognition they deserve.”
The GoFundMe campaign set an initial goal of $10,000, which would allow restaurants to provide 100 meals per day for 10 days. But the Spokane community rallied around the cause to raise more than $15,000 to date, contributing more than 1,200 meals so far.
“We’re thrilled by the response of the community,” Tampien said. “The medical staff and first responders receiving the meals are ecstatic. They’re so appreciative of what we’re doing for them.”
In light of its success, the goal of the fundraiser has been raised to $20,000 in hopes of preparing and delivering a total of 2,000 meals.
Goodwin Group says they plan to continue the campaign for as long as they are able, adding that their efforts may change depending on the evolving COVID-19 situation.
