North Berkshire Tip Jar
Donation protected
The North Berkshire Tip Jar campaign is over. But it has partnered with local restaurants to provide meals to families in need and support those restaurants through the remainder of the pandemic, especially as winter bears down on the Berkshires. Here is the link to the new GoFundMe campaign: https://www.gofundme.com/f/feeding-north-berkshire. Your support would be most appreciated.
Tip your server, please.
PLEASE USE THE ENDORSE FEATURE IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING YOUR PAYMENT TO LET US KNOW HOW YOU WANT YOUR CONTRIBUTION DISTRIBUTED AND ANY MESSAGE YOU WANT TO PASS ALONG.
Alternatively, you can email us at [email redacted] to provide us with that information.
The servers and bartenders who make our dining and drinking experiences enjoyable are in big trouble. Most of them have lost their jobs and, for many, their primary source of income. They rely on tips to pay their rent, keep their kids clothed and fed, and other expenses. They smile and take care of us no matter what is going on in their lives. Their lives have been upended in a very big way, and it's time for us to take care of them.
The money raised will be deposited in a separate account and distributed directly to those you designate. You can designate your contribution:
1. To the furloughed employees of your favorite restaurant(s) and bar(s), in which case the money will be sent to the owner of the restaurant or bar to be distributed among the furloughed staff.
2. To one or more specific employees, in which case the money will be sent directly to those employees.
We are volunteers doing the distributions manually, so please provide as much information as you can. If you can give us an email or Venmo for the employee(s) or owner(s), that would save us a lot of work.
We are limiting this to restaurants and bars in North Adams, Williamstown, Adams, Cheshire, Savoy, Clarksburg, Florida, Hancock, New Ashford, and Lanesborough. Except for the fee paid to GoFundMe, every dollar you give will go directly to the designated employee(s).
We recognize that this campaign addresses the situation of only one group of workers adversely affected by what’s going on. We urge you to think about the other people who take care of you in other ways who are suffering also and support them in any way you can.
Thank you!
Julia Bowen
Jason Dohaney
Mark Gold
Organizers
Information provided to GoFundMe: The three organizers are long-time residents of Williamstown, Massachusetts, and frequent patrons of local restaurants (limited to North Berkshire), all of which have been closed and the staffs subject to reduced hours and pay (for take out) or (most of them) laid off. We reached out to the local community to raise money to provide at least a little financial relief, but also to let these people know that the community was aware of their plight and cared. If donors specify the staff of one or more specific restaurants, the money will be delivered to the owner of the restaurant to be distributed to affected staff based on need. If a donor specified a specific individual, that individual will receive payment. Undesignated contributions will be distributed to restaurant owners for their staffs to make the distributions among restaurants equitable. We have identified and connected with substantially all restaurant owners to explain the process and arrange mode of payment. Since restaurants are closed, that has been more difficult than we expected, but will be completed before any payment is made. Payments will be made by physical check issued by our bank or Venmo to the owner or individual recipient. The campaign has been the subject of an article in the local paper, found here: https://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/virtual-tip-jar-opens-up-for-out-of-work-bartenders-servers-in-northern-berkshire,600863?
Tip your server, please.
PLEASE USE THE ENDORSE FEATURE IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING YOUR PAYMENT TO LET US KNOW HOW YOU WANT YOUR CONTRIBUTION DISTRIBUTED AND ANY MESSAGE YOU WANT TO PASS ALONG.
Alternatively, you can email us at [email redacted] to provide us with that information.
The servers and bartenders who make our dining and drinking experiences enjoyable are in big trouble. Most of them have lost their jobs and, for many, their primary source of income. They rely on tips to pay their rent, keep their kids clothed and fed, and other expenses. They smile and take care of us no matter what is going on in their lives. Their lives have been upended in a very big way, and it's time for us to take care of them.
The money raised will be deposited in a separate account and distributed directly to those you designate. You can designate your contribution:
1. To the furloughed employees of your favorite restaurant(s) and bar(s), in which case the money will be sent to the owner of the restaurant or bar to be distributed among the furloughed staff.
2. To one or more specific employees, in which case the money will be sent directly to those employees.
We are volunteers doing the distributions manually, so please provide as much information as you can. If you can give us an email or Venmo for the employee(s) or owner(s), that would save us a lot of work.
We are limiting this to restaurants and bars in North Adams, Williamstown, Adams, Cheshire, Savoy, Clarksburg, Florida, Hancock, New Ashford, and Lanesborough. Except for the fee paid to GoFundMe, every dollar you give will go directly to the designated employee(s).
We recognize that this campaign addresses the situation of only one group of workers adversely affected by what’s going on. We urge you to think about the other people who take care of you in other ways who are suffering also and support them in any way you can.
Thank you!
Julia Bowen
Jason Dohaney
Mark Gold
Organizers
Information provided to GoFundMe: The three organizers are long-time residents of Williamstown, Massachusetts, and frequent patrons of local restaurants (limited to North Berkshire), all of which have been closed and the staffs subject to reduced hours and pay (for take out) or (most of them) laid off. We reached out to the local community to raise money to provide at least a little financial relief, but also to let these people know that the community was aware of their plight and cared. If donors specify the staff of one or more specific restaurants, the money will be delivered to the owner of the restaurant to be distributed to affected staff based on need. If a donor specified a specific individual, that individual will receive payment. Undesignated contributions will be distributed to restaurant owners for their staffs to make the distributions among restaurants equitable. We have identified and connected with substantially all restaurant owners to explain the process and arrange mode of payment. Since restaurants are closed, that has been more difficult than we expected, but will be completed before any payment is made. Payments will be made by physical check issued by our bank or Venmo to the owner or individual recipient. The campaign has been the subject of an article in the local paper, found here: https://www.berkshireeagle.com/stories/virtual-tip-jar-opens-up-for-out-of-work-bartenders-servers-in-northern-berkshire,600863?
Organizer
North Berkshire Tip Jar
Organizer
Williamstown, MA