The LEE Initiative Restaurant Workers Relief Program at Pints&union, and how you can help by donating.

REVISED MONDAY, APRIL 20: The donation portal’s drop-down menus for directing donations have been revised; see below.

I've had a few questions about where to direct donations v.v. Pints&union's participation in The LEE Initiative's Restaurant Workers Relief Program.

Pints&union received a grant as seed money to enable relief for unemployed Southern Indiana restaurant workers. For background, go here:

One of four $10,000 LEE Initiative “Grants for Good” is awarded to Pints&union to support restaurant workers relief efforts in SoIN.

We're doing curbside carryout for the general public out the front door (Wednesday - Saturday), and workers relief from the alley side door (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday). These operations are separate from each other. Donations for relief go to relief, not to pub operations.

Donations are being routed through The LEE Initiative web site. Your donation goes straight to Pints&union for so long as this procedure is followed:

• Go to the LEE Initiative web site: https://leeinitiative.org/
• Clock DONATE in the upper right hand corner
• Enter the amount of your donation and click SUBMIT
• Go to the drop-down menu that says "Would you like your donation to go to a specific city?"
• Choose this one: "Southern Indiana (New Albany)":

Then complete the billing information and send. Your donation is tax deductible, and here's what the receipt looks like:

If you'd rather donate by cash, check or in kind, let me know and I'll route you to Joe Phillips: 502-468-9710; mayorbaylor@gmail.com

The LEE Initiative posted the following yesterday on Facebook. It's still amazing to me that we've become a component of a nationwide effort that was organized virtually overnight by The LEE Initiative. It's an amazing group of people.

We are here for you Southern Indiana!

Restaurant Workers Relief Program

Due to the closure of restaurants in Southern Indiana we have an urgent need for assistance for restaurant workers who find themselves suddenly without work, without a paycheck and without a support system.

Independent restaurants are at the center of the vibrant growth in America. For the past decade, we have relied on the stellar hospitality and positive PR of the independent restaurant scene to make New Albany and Southern Indiana a place we are incredibly proud of. But now restaurant workers need your help more than ever. If we don’t take a stand and do something now, there will not be an independent restaurant industry to speak of when the corona-virus crisis is over.

In partnership with Maker's Mark and Chef Edward Lee, the LEE Initiative turned Pints&union (Joe Phillips, owner) into a Restaurant Workers Relief Center for any restaurant worker who has been laid off or has had a significant reduction in hours and/ or pay.

We are offering help for those in dire need of food and supplies. Each night, we will pack to go dinners that people can come to pick up and take home. Dinners are offered on a first come, first serve basis with a limit of one per person unless there is an emergency situation.

We will also have essential supplies on hand. We will limit how much any one person can take of these supplies, but they will be handed out free to those in need. We will continue to offer this program until we can no longer financially support it.

Details of the program are below:

Pints & Union, 114 East Market Street, New Albany
Pick up time is 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, Thursday, & Saturday; drive through the alley side.