The ARF is a safety net for workers who are employed but are experiencing general hardship. We provide financial assistance of $500 or $1,000 to those in crisis due to an unexpected illness, injury, or natural disaster.
Eligibility
Angel Relief Fund grants are available for any Colorado hospitality worker who:
- Has a primary source of income rooted in food and beverage and is currently employed in the restaurant industry
- Lives in the state of Colorado
- Encounters an emergency that’s an unexpected, non-recurring crisis
Eligible Hardships
Unanticipated hardships necessitate prolonged unpaid absences from work and generally fit into one of the following categories:
- Injury caused by an accident (such as a slip, fall, or crash) requiring hospitalization or other acute care
- Illness requiring hospitalization or other acute care
- Death or catastrophic illness or injury of an immediate family member imposing a financial or full-time caregiving burden on the worker
- Disaster, such as flood, fire, or storm damage (to name a few) causing disruption of a worker’s job or ability to work
- Acts of violence in which the employee is the victim
Applicants are asked to submit a signed letter on company letterhead from their employer verifying the hardship’s impact on an employee’s ability to work and that the absence is unpaid.
Required Documentation:
In order to have your application reviewed, you must upload any of the below that are applicable, with the first two being required:
- Proof of Colorado residency (Required – CO Driver’s License, CO I.D., signed lease document, or any bill from electric, energy or water)
- Proof of current employment in a Colorado restaurant or F&B hospitality business by way of your last two paystubs. (Required)
- Signed letter from employer on company letterhead verifying hardship’s impact on employee’s ability to work and unpaid absence. EMPLOYER LETTER TEMPLATE.
- Other documentation as listed below that will support your application – includes bills, death certificate, etc. as optional attachments.
Additional hardship resources:
- In the greater Denver-Metro area, the CRA Mile High Chapter Hardship Fund offers grants and zero-interest loans to restaurant workers in need.
- The Southern Smoke Foundation also provides grants to people in the hospitality industry in several states, including Colorado. Southern Smoke’s Emergency Relief Fund is intended for those working 30+ hours a week in the industry.
- CORE (Children of Restaurant Employees) supports people in the foodservice industry who have a child experiencing an unforeseen hardship.
- The Bartender Emergency Assistance Program (BEAP) helps people who are working in the hospitality industry as bartenders, barbacks, bar servers, or are otherwise engaged in the service, preparation, manufacture, or distribution of alcoholic beverages.
For mental health-care support:
- For immediate support, contact Colorado Crisis Services at any time at 1-844-493-8255 or text 38225
- Khesed Wellness and the Colorado Restaurant Foundation have teamed up to provide affordable mental health therapy for restaurant workers
- CHOW (Culinary Hospitality Outreach & Wellness) is a non-profit organization that provides mental health resources to people in the hospitality industry and helps restaurant workers with many health-care needs, such as finding the right health insurance, applying for a grant, locating a good yoga class, to name a few. Services include group discussion meetings, education about mental health and substance use, and a Workplace Wellness Toolkit
- In the Weeds offers a variety of assistance to restaurant employees in Durango and the surrounding La Plata county
