A nonprofit publication of the Kentucky Center for Public Service Journalism

NKY Restaurant Relief Fund gets re-start, thanks to $10,000 gift from CRBC; buy your gift cards now


The NKY Restaurant Relief Fund was originally intended to just be a two-week program to provide local bars and restaurants impacted by the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) pandemic some much-needed financial assistance. Thanks to the continued generosity of the Northern Kentucky community – and a new $10,000 donation – the fund (and the general public) will continue to provide additional help to the local food service industry once again.

The NKY Restaurant Relief fund is up and running for another week to help 10 more local restaurants and bars, thanks to a $10,000 donation from the Cincinnati Regional Business Committee (CRBC). The fund – a joint project originally created by The Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Northern Kentucky Tri-ED and Horizon Community Funds of Northern Kentucky – awarded $37,000 in grants last month.

A CEO-based civic organization, the CRBC is comprised of 90-plus chief executives from primarily mid-cap companies in the Greater Cincinnati region. The CRBC exists to “ignite and accelerate” transformational change in the Greater Cincinnati community by leveraging unique assets, leadership and collective resources to produce long-term positive impact, growth and prosperity throughout the region.

“The CRBC is excited to back this important effort and provide additional support for Northern Kentucky restaurants,” said Gary Lindgren, President of the Cincinnati Regional Business Committee. “Our members appreciate the great work of our partner organizations to launch this program and we are glad to be part of the team.”

NKY Chamber President and CEO Brent Cooper is excited to see the fund return knowing the good it will do for one of the industries hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This fund was intended to be a two-week initiative to help our local restaurants and bars; what it has become, however, is a testament to the spirit of not just our local businesses, but our entire region,” Cooper said. “We thank the members of the Cincinnati Regional Business Committee for their generosity to allow us to continue showing how the entire region is united in this fight, both sides of the river.”

The NKY Restaurant Relief fund operates as follows: After purchasing a $50 minimum gift card/gift certificate to any qualifying Northern Kentucky restaurant or bar, an individual can upload a copy of their receipt, address, and contact information to the NKY Restaurant Relief Fund website. This automatically nominates the restaurant or bar for a one-time $1,000 grant, which is chosen via a random drawing. Restaurants need to be locally owned and operated to be eligible. All previously entered purchases will be eligible for these new grants, as long as the restaurant has not been previously selected as a winner.

The fund was originally slated to be a two-week program to award $1,000 grants to 20 establishments. It was quickly expanded to three weeks, and 37 recipients received $1000 grants each. Due to the generosity of donors, which included among others Main Street Ventures, the Dave and Cindy Knox Family Fund, Woods Hardware/ACME Lock, Marilyn Scripps, Urban Sites, and Julie Kirkpatrick, all of whom came together for the support of Northern Kentucky businesses, the fund has been a huge success. Coupled with the $44,000 in gift card/restaurant receipts initially uploaded to the fund’s website, the fund has made an economic impact of just over $80,000 thus far.

Now re-launched, the fund will award 10 additional $1,000 grants to local restaurants and bars during the live broadcast of the NKY Chamber’s podcast on Thursday, May 14.

Tri-ED President and CEO Lee Crume hopes the general public’s participation will allow the fund to reach a new benchmark.

“With the generosity of the Cincinnati Regional Business Committee, our past donors and gift card purchases submitted by the public, we are nearing $100,000 in economic impact for one of our industries hardest hit by COVID-19,” Crume said. “Our local restaurants and bars are deeply ingrained in our community – these are places with deep roots that have served as the home for memorable moments for so many – and the response to this initiative is phenomenal.”

Horizon Community Funds President Nancy Grayson shares Crume’s sentiment.
 
“This donation proves the work our community does goes far beyond business as usual,” Grayson said. “This initiative would never have worked without the support of both the general public and our local businesses. This shows that, when united, Northern Kentucky is far more capable of meeting our challenges head-on and with grand generosity.”
To upload a receipt to nominate a local bar or restaurant, visit the NKY Restaurant Relief Fund website.


Related Posts

Leave a Comment