In March of 2020, four restaurant operators had to lay off their staff…

…and we immediately reached out to each other to ask “what can be done?”

We founded FIRA and began raising funds within 7 days to assist hospitality professionals who had been laid off due to COVID. Workers in our industry are notoriously under-insured and rarely have savings set back in case of emergency. Today, we continue to raise funds for the Hospitality Emergency Relief Opportunity fund to provide a safety net for individuals experiencing hardship. We may post about individuals from time to time to ask for donations for a specific effort. Otherwise, any additional funding will be set aside in a "rainy day fund" for our local hospitality professionals.

Our vision is a community in which professionals in the hospitality industry can thrive in a secure and healthy environment at work and at home.

Our mission is to provide resources for local businesses and hospitality professionals with a focus on livable wages, healthier lifestyles and access to benefits that are not often prioritized for our industry.