Holiday Fundraiser for Service Workers
Donation protected
SIWA3 (Service Industry Workers of the Ann Arbor Area) are raising funds to provide holiday financial assistance to local restaurant workers and their families-- and we need your help.
100% of donations will be spread equitably among qualifying applicants.* Funds will be disbursed on December 22nd. The more money we receive, the more money we will be able to distribute to each applicant.
If you’re unable to contribute monetarily, please take a moment to share this fundraiser and help us get the word out.
Thank you, and happy holidays from SIWA3 and the Ypsilanti IWW!
*Those who apply between December 11-18, have worked in a bar, restaurant, or cafe in Washtenaw County within the last year, and are wage workers (unsalaried and do not have the power to hire or fire).
More information:
As everyone knows by now, the service industry has been absolutely ravaged by Covid.
We know many of you are buying gift certificates, trying to help local businesses to stay open during this crisis. And we appreciate that you're shopping local and helping our community survive! But workers are not benefitting from those gift certificate sales, and they deserve help too.
The service industry has always been a fickle provider. Those of us who’ve worked in this industry for long enough have adapted to the seasonal ebbs and flows of income. We rely on holiday tips made between Thanksgiving and New Years to get us through the slow months of the winter.
This year, none of us are making that money.
We’ve spent ten months now in an unprecedented world of uncertainty. Many of us chose this industry because we believed that no matter what happened or where we were in the world, we'd always be able to find work. Now we're wondering if we’ll even have jobs to come back to once this pandemic has been contained.
We know that this latest shut-down order is necessary. But it was absolutely inhumane of our elected officials to shut down workplaces without providing any sort of financial relief for the thousands of workers displaced by the order, who were already struggling with rent, food insecurity, health care, and child care.
Last time dine-in service was shut down, we had the $600/week Pandemic Unemployment Assistance from the CARES Act to help us get by. That money allowed service industry workers to be safe and stay home, caring for their families and preventing the spread of Covid. Our case numbers in our community were low because people had the financial ability to do the right thing.
But it has been four months since the pandemic unemployment assistance ended.
This time, there is no plan for workers. We don’t expect to get another stimulus check. The state unemployment runs out on the 26th of December, and the eviction moratorium soon after. Many people have no idea how they are going to pay their rent, no less provide holiday gifts or meals for their families. And we all know that like last time, the shut down order will likely be extended indefinitely, which leaves workers in the cold. Possibly literally.
Because of this, SIWA3 and Ypsilanti IWW are asking the community to come together and help those who serve you. If you're the person who tips generously during their holiday shopping, please consider tipping here. If you have worked in the industry, or know someone who does, please donate and/or share this fundraiser. Let's try to make service workers' holidays just a little bit brighter this extremely difficult year.
100% of donations will be spread equitably among qualifying applicants.* Funds will be disbursed on December 22nd. The more money we receive, the more money we will be able to distribute to each applicant.
If you’re unable to contribute monetarily, please take a moment to share this fundraiser and help us get the word out.
Thank you, and happy holidays from SIWA3 and the Ypsilanti IWW!
*Those who apply between December 11-18, have worked in a bar, restaurant, or cafe in Washtenaw County within the last year, and are wage workers (unsalaried and do not have the power to hire or fire).
More information:
As everyone knows by now, the service industry has been absolutely ravaged by Covid.
We know many of you are buying gift certificates, trying to help local businesses to stay open during this crisis. And we appreciate that you're shopping local and helping our community survive! But workers are not benefitting from those gift certificate sales, and they deserve help too.
The service industry has always been a fickle provider. Those of us who’ve worked in this industry for long enough have adapted to the seasonal ebbs and flows of income. We rely on holiday tips made between Thanksgiving and New Years to get us through the slow months of the winter.
This year, none of us are making that money.
We’ve spent ten months now in an unprecedented world of uncertainty. Many of us chose this industry because we believed that no matter what happened or where we were in the world, we'd always be able to find work. Now we're wondering if we’ll even have jobs to come back to once this pandemic has been contained.
We know that this latest shut-down order is necessary. But it was absolutely inhumane of our elected officials to shut down workplaces without providing any sort of financial relief for the thousands of workers displaced by the order, who were already struggling with rent, food insecurity, health care, and child care.
Last time dine-in service was shut down, we had the $600/week Pandemic Unemployment Assistance from the CARES Act to help us get by. That money allowed service industry workers to be safe and stay home, caring for their families and preventing the spread of Covid. Our case numbers in our community were low because people had the financial ability to do the right thing.
But it has been four months since the pandemic unemployment assistance ended.
This time, there is no plan for workers. We don’t expect to get another stimulus check. The state unemployment runs out on the 26th of December, and the eviction moratorium soon after. Many people have no idea how they are going to pay their rent, no less provide holiday gifts or meals for their families. And we all know that like last time, the shut down order will likely be extended indefinitely, which leaves workers in the cold. Possibly literally.
Because of this, SIWA3 and Ypsilanti IWW are asking the community to come together and help those who serve you. If you're the person who tips generously during their holiday shopping, please consider tipping here. If you have worked in the industry, or know someone who does, please donate and/or share this fundraiser. Let's try to make service workers' holidays just a little bit brighter this extremely difficult year.
Organizer and beneficiary
Lisa Schramm
Organizer
Ypsilanti, MI
Ypsilanti IWW GMB
Beneficiary