You've Had Us, Now We Have You, Pronto!
Donation protected
At the core of what makes our LGBTQ community so great, is our desire and ability to be compassionate to those in need. Even greater, are the allies who stand alongside us and support us and those we care about.
At this point, the downstream effects of COVID-19 are not new to anyone. Many of us are fortunate enough to close our laptops, take home an extra charger, and wake up the next morning, continuing to the do the work we're assigned; from the comfort of PJs and our favorite coffee mug none the less. For others? Not so much.
For some, in the wake of necessary quarantine, were told that tomorrow when they wake up, they need to find another way to make their bills, support themselves, and support their families for the foreseeable future. A stark and contrasting difference by comparison. And these people? Are the faces we turn to when we don't feel like cooking, when we just need to "get out of the house," and the ones who with a smile will say "what can I getcha?"
Pronto! has been a staple of the Royal Oak, Oakland County, and LGBTQ community for many years. Their cooks, their servers, their bartenders, and bar backs are the ones on staff when some have had no family to share the Holidays with, have kept the kitchen services open late so we had a place to eat when volleyball finished, have hosted numerous themed parties and events for us to look forward to, have given us one place to gather together to watch RuPaul's Drag Race, and in many cases, have given us the first (or second) round on the house.
As of the government mandate at 3pm Monday, 20 folks from Pronto! were sent home to figure out what's next. While none of us know exactly what comes next, collectively, we can at least make sure there is a LITTLE piece of mind; that a community they proudly serve has their back. While we might not be able to make them whole, we can at least help them see that we've appreciated every service, every smile, every laugh, and every drink.
With your donations, we hope to cover a paycheck or two for each of these folks, as they continue to find work and other means to support themselves. The least we can do is chip in to get them over the hump and payback just some of the selflessness they've given to us! :-)
Our plan is give each person an equal cut of the donations, paid out weekly (on Friday's), from whatever amount is received that week.
If you are unable to donate yourself, no worries! You can share this link and hopefully, together, we can make just a little bit of a difference!
At this point, the downstream effects of COVID-19 are not new to anyone. Many of us are fortunate enough to close our laptops, take home an extra charger, and wake up the next morning, continuing to the do the work we're assigned; from the comfort of PJs and our favorite coffee mug none the less. For others? Not so much.
For some, in the wake of necessary quarantine, were told that tomorrow when they wake up, they need to find another way to make their bills, support themselves, and support their families for the foreseeable future. A stark and contrasting difference by comparison. And these people? Are the faces we turn to when we don't feel like cooking, when we just need to "get out of the house," and the ones who with a smile will say "what can I getcha?"
Pronto! has been a staple of the Royal Oak, Oakland County, and LGBTQ community for many years. Their cooks, their servers, their bartenders, and bar backs are the ones on staff when some have had no family to share the Holidays with, have kept the kitchen services open late so we had a place to eat when volleyball finished, have hosted numerous themed parties and events for us to look forward to, have given us one place to gather together to watch RuPaul's Drag Race, and in many cases, have given us the first (or second) round on the house.
As of the government mandate at 3pm Monday, 20 folks from Pronto! were sent home to figure out what's next. While none of us know exactly what comes next, collectively, we can at least make sure there is a LITTLE piece of mind; that a community they proudly serve has their back. While we might not be able to make them whole, we can at least help them see that we've appreciated every service, every smile, every laugh, and every drink.
With your donations, we hope to cover a paycheck or two for each of these folks, as they continue to find work and other means to support themselves. The least we can do is chip in to get them over the hump and payback just some of the selflessness they've given to us! :-)
Our plan is give each person an equal cut of the donations, paid out weekly (on Friday's), from whatever amount is received that week.
If you are unable to donate yourself, no worries! You can share this link and hopefully, together, we can make just a little bit of a difference!
Organizer
Chase Gildersleeve
Organizer
Ferndale, MI