Help Save Red White and Pasta Restaurant & Staff

Where do I begin? I am Kevin, the owner of Red White and Pasta, a family style restaurant in Englewood, NJ.  I have been in the restaurant business for nearly 30 years and it was always a dream of mine to open my own place, where people could feel comfortable and "at home" in a neighborhood restaurant.  I poured my life savings into making this dream a reality 3 1/2 years ago. The first few years brought much success until that dreadful day of March 16, 2020 when my life and the lives of my employees changed forever. We were closed indoors, like all other restaurants, and only had pickup and delivery, which cannot sustain our business since it is only about 30% of our revenue and since all restaurants now deliver from a third party, it dropped even more. On March 27, 2020, I started to feel symptoms of COVID and by March 29 I was hospitalized. For the next 3 months, I had severe symptoms and was confided to bed and didn't see any family until late June. It was a dark and lonely few months and I truly didn't know if I was going to survive the virus. Even after a negative test, the symptoms lingered through the early part of the summer. While all this was going on, I still had to keep whatever was left of my business going and adjusting to all the sudden changes. During the early part of this pandemic, I made the decision to keep all my employees as long as I could until money and/or funding ran out.  The employees are the heart and soul of the restaurant.  Most of them have been with me for 10+ years during my other business ventures. They have always been there for the business and have families to support and I couldn't let them lose their livelihood. In August 2020, Sarah Wallace from Channel 4 News did a a story on us.  The topic was Governor Murphy's restrictions and his negative effect on the industry. At this time, business was down 70%. In late August 2020, still experiencing symptoms of COVID and diagnosed with long haulers, I lost my antibodies and went back to work on a limited basis. Unfortunately that didn't last long as on November 17, 2020, I started to feel sick again and a few days later I was back in the hospital with COVID for the SECOND time. This time the symptoms were not as severe, but bad enough to be quarantined and in bed for another month. On December 20, 2020, I returned to work with full antibodies. While experiencing the pain and weakness of long haulers COVID, I continue to work.  By 2021, we thought business would be close to normal, but that is certainly not the case and far from the truth. I feel that my restaurant, the employees and my family, which I have a wife and two children, deserve a second chance to come back to the glory days and that can only happen with your help.  I am in dire need of funds immediately to continue to pay my staff plus rent and utilities.  We are an affordable family style Italian restaurant that is vital to not only the community, but also my employees, who have been very loyal to me. Thank you for your understanding. I am not looking for sympathy, just for support to keep my dream alive. Thank you again, God bless and be safe.