“The Power of 10 Initiative is not only an asset to the restaurant community but the community as a whole. Erik's vision has not only been instrumental in keeping numerous restaurants open and hundreds of people working, but he has also given hope and encouragement to frontline workers and the general public through the thousands of meals that have been donated.”
"The Power of 10 is saving livelihoods and resurrecting dreams, one local restaurant at a time."
To Whom It May Concern,
Every neighborhood has a restaurant that is an extension of your home. It is the space where you have your first dates, celebrate anniversaries, birthdays, and hold school charity functions. No one knows neighbors more than the restaurants that serve you every day. These neighborhood restaurants are independently-owned, usually operate with a team of less than thirty staff, and unfortunately lack the resources to face challenges like a rapidly expanding pandemic. I confidently believe there is no other group of hardworking people that can tackle a situation like those in the restaurant industry. We must address two immediate problems that the community is tragically experiencing during COVID-19: loss of jobs and access to food.
We are modeling the strategy of mobilizing resilient restaurant workers during the fallout of COVID-19. The restaurant community c an show the rest of America that The Power of 10 works and can be applied to any community across our nation.
Here’s how it works: If a restaurant were to receive $10,000 a week during this crisis, it could create 10 full-time jobs and provide 1,000 free meals to its direct community. By Monday, March 30th, this organization hopes to assist in mobilizing three restaurants with this simple math.
Small businesses are the backbone of America and neighborhood restaurants are the anchors of every great community. Stimulating the local economy through neighborhood businesses allows its community to play a vital role in tackling the collateral damage of COVID-19. With the ability to provide jobs again, small business es will relieve the unemployment safety net. Restaurants will also be providing quality hot meals and keeping the supply chain intact by supporting local farmers and vendors.
I hope to show that The Power of 10 model can be applied to any neighborhood in America. $10,000 a week in donations will provide 10 full-time jobs and 1,000 free meals to any community. This pilot program will be a model that local governments can implement across the nation, proving what the collective power of individuals and organizations can achieve.
Thank you for your time.
March 26, 2020
➞ Re-employment
➞ Food Security
➞ Community Safety Net
➞ Relieves Burden of Unemployment Resource
➞ Community Engagement
➞ ABC Pony, Paolo Dungca & Chris Yates, Ward 6
➞ Cane, Peter Prime, Ward 6
➞ Maketto, Erik Bruner-Yang, Ward 6
➞ Food On The Stove
➞ Creative Class
➞ Arcadia Center For Sustainable Foods
➞ Each restaurant responder is partnered with a local non-profit
to handle food distribution logistics servicing either their
ward or other wards in need.
➞ A simple model that can be utilized in any community in America
➞ Mobilize a skilled and resourceful workforce to address food in a time of crisis
➞ The same funds that would have been used for unemployment can be redirected
➞ Allows restaurants to maintain operations while keeping their employees
and communities safe during this crisis by focusing on community outreach versus
being forced to change their business models overnight and continue to expose
themselves to COVID-19
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