120 Families Need Our Help: Emergency Fund
Donation protected
THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR HELPING US SURPASS OUR GOAL!
We hoped to raise $50,000 to support our dear friends...and we hit $51,100!
Restaurants are the hub and heart of NYC, and we are doing this as patrons and New Yorkers, well aware of the closed doors that may never reopen, and the jobs in the hundreds of thousands that have been brought to a halt.
The people that make up our date spots, our evening with friends, and family dinners, are now suddenly left without a dime to support their own.
We have started this fund raiser for three very special restaurants, family owned, family operated. Lusardi’s, Uva and Due have played a central part of many of our lives throughout the years, long standing neighborhood staples of hard working hospitality at its best. It breaks our hearts to know that companies built from the ground up now face a reality no one could have prepared for.
Across the three restaurants, 120 people have - overnight - lost their jobs, and their families the income that most will depend on. "Work from home" does not apply in this circumstance, neither does pounding the pavement looking for another source of income. While there are government proposals which may or may not provide some assistance, there are immediate financial needs which many will find difficult to meet while unemployed.
We know first hand how crushing this is to the owners, whose staff have become an extension of their family, and how hard it is to appeal for money yourself, so we are helping them start this fundraiser.
If you are not able to contribute at this time, we ask that you forward and share this to anyone that might, and thank you so much for your kindness in doing so. If you are fortunate enough to be in a position to give, be it $50, or $100, or any amount you can, please consider doing so - it can be in your name, or in honor or memory of someone, or anonymously if you prefer.
The second ask is that you stay home. As well as you may feel, the tighter we contain ourselves now, the faster we will be able to bounce back.
Like you, we all look forward to the time when we are raising a glass to the end of this epidemic, and the reopening of our neighborhood institutions. We are living through a crisis that will go down in history, and we want to be proud of how we New Yorkers pulled together, and did what we do best, setting a precedent for others to follow.
Sending so much love, and wishing you all health in the comfort of your homes! Thank you sincerely!
Ellen Israel, Jack Buchanan and Craig Robinson
#SmallBusinessRelief
Additional note from Craig Robinson: I am a resident of the Upper East Side of NY and a dedicated and loyal patron of Lusarid’s. Through the years I have grown to consider the restaurant’s owners and their staff as dear friends and felt strongly about setting up this campaign to provide support to their employees while the restaurants are closed. The donations will be equally divided among the 120 employees who are currently out of work, which will be managed by Massimo Lusardi, one of the restaurant’s owners.
We hoped to raise $50,000 to support our dear friends...and we hit $51,100!
Restaurants are the hub and heart of NYC, and we are doing this as patrons and New Yorkers, well aware of the closed doors that may never reopen, and the jobs in the hundreds of thousands that have been brought to a halt.
The people that make up our date spots, our evening with friends, and family dinners, are now suddenly left without a dime to support their own.
We have started this fund raiser for three very special restaurants, family owned, family operated. Lusardi’s, Uva and Due have played a central part of many of our lives throughout the years, long standing neighborhood staples of hard working hospitality at its best. It breaks our hearts to know that companies built from the ground up now face a reality no one could have prepared for.
Across the three restaurants, 120 people have - overnight - lost their jobs, and their families the income that most will depend on. "Work from home" does not apply in this circumstance, neither does pounding the pavement looking for another source of income. While there are government proposals which may or may not provide some assistance, there are immediate financial needs which many will find difficult to meet while unemployed.
We know first hand how crushing this is to the owners, whose staff have become an extension of their family, and how hard it is to appeal for money yourself, so we are helping them start this fundraiser.
If you are not able to contribute at this time, we ask that you forward and share this to anyone that might, and thank you so much for your kindness in doing so. If you are fortunate enough to be in a position to give, be it $50, or $100, or any amount you can, please consider doing so - it can be in your name, or in honor or memory of someone, or anonymously if you prefer.
The second ask is that you stay home. As well as you may feel, the tighter we contain ourselves now, the faster we will be able to bounce back.
Like you, we all look forward to the time when we are raising a glass to the end of this epidemic, and the reopening of our neighborhood institutions. We are living through a crisis that will go down in history, and we want to be proud of how we New Yorkers pulled together, and did what we do best, setting a precedent for others to follow.
Sending so much love, and wishing you all health in the comfort of your homes! Thank you sincerely!
Ellen Israel, Jack Buchanan and Craig Robinson
#SmallBusinessRelief
Additional note from Craig Robinson: I am a resident of the Upper East Side of NY and a dedicated and loyal patron of Lusarid’s. Through the years I have grown to consider the restaurant’s owners and their staff as dear friends and felt strongly about setting up this campaign to provide support to their employees while the restaurants are closed. The donations will be equally divided among the 120 employees who are currently out of work, which will be managed by Massimo Lusardi, one of the restaurant’s owners.
Organizer and beneficiary
Craig Robinson
Organizer
New York, NY
Massimo Lusardi
Beneficiary