PDX Furloughed Theater Staff Emergency Fund
Donation protected
Soon after Governor Kate Brown issued restrictions on large gatherings in Oregon due to the spread of the novel coronavirus, a number of regional film festivals were cancelled, and local theaters found themselves forced to close for an indefinite period of time. This move was necessary in order to put the health and well-being of the community first, but these cancellations and closures have had some very damaging financial impacts on the theater staff who run these theaters and festivals.
As any local will attest, Portland has a significant number of independent and nonprofit theaters and a vibrant film festival community. The labor of theater staff workers like us is an essential part of that movie-loving community. More often than not, we work in on-call, temporary, part-time, or other precarious capacities, and are often without access to employer-provided health care or paid leave. The closing of theaters and cancellation of festivals has left many of us effectively unemployed, and many are now missing funds that we were relying upon in these uncertain times.
No one works at these theaters or festivals to get rich. We work at them because we want Portland to remain the great film city it is. We are the vulnerable workers who make these events and screenings possible. We care deeply for our community and are doing what we can to support one another, but we cannot do it alone.
All funds raised here will go directly to the furloughed theater staff at affected Portland theaters and festivals and will be used to replace the lost wages that we were counting on. Anything you can offer to help will help ensure that our filmgoing, film-loving, and film-facilitating community will sustain itself through a difficult, unprecedented struggle.
If you are a theater worker who would like to participate in/inquire about being a recipient of this fund, please send a message through GoFundMe.
As any local will attest, Portland has a significant number of independent and nonprofit theaters and a vibrant film festival community. The labor of theater staff workers like us is an essential part of that movie-loving community. More often than not, we work in on-call, temporary, part-time, or other precarious capacities, and are often without access to employer-provided health care or paid leave. The closing of theaters and cancellation of festivals has left many of us effectively unemployed, and many are now missing funds that we were relying upon in these uncertain times.
No one works at these theaters or festivals to get rich. We work at them because we want Portland to remain the great film city it is. We are the vulnerable workers who make these events and screenings possible. We care deeply for our community and are doing what we can to support one another, but we cannot do it alone.
All funds raised here will go directly to the furloughed theater staff at affected Portland theaters and festivals and will be used to replace the lost wages that we were counting on. Anything you can offer to help will help ensure that our filmgoing, film-loving, and film-facilitating community will sustain itself through a difficult, unprecedented struggle.
If you are a theater worker who would like to participate in/inquire about being a recipient of this fund, please send a message through GoFundMe.
Organizer
Micah Vanderhoof
Organizer
Portland, OR