The Plate Fund, an initiative to provide financial assistance to King County restaurant and food service workers who lost their jobs due to the pandemic, has raised a total of $6 million.
By next week, the fund is expected to provide at least 10,000 workers one-time payments of $500.
So far, $2.6 million has been distributed to more than 5,200 affected workers.
The Plate Fund estimates there are roughly 100,000 restaurant workers in Seattle are impacted.
Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz and his wife Sheri helped organize the Plate Fund in partnership with the Seattle Foundation, #allinseattle and UpTogether. The Schultz Family Foundation put in $3 million. More than 1,500 other donors have raised another $3 million.
Backers of the fund are hoping to raise millions more. Donations are tax deductible and 100% of donations will go directly to workers who've lost their jobs. You can donate or apply for funds at www.theplatefund.com.
Starting Wednesday, the initiative will host #ThePlateFund: LIVE on Instagram.
#ThePlateFund: LIVE is a collaboration of local chefs and bartenders who will virtually share food and drink recipes to create connections during the Stay Home-Stay Healthy order, while raising awareness about the level of need being experienced by restaurant workers as a result of the pandemic. Each night will feature a different chef or bartender from a King County restaurant.
