There isn’t a business that hasn’t been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, including ones operating locally. All of those deemed non-essential — a majority — have been forced to close; many will find it hard to come back once the crisis is behind us. And, as a result, thousands of people have lost their jobs as business owners have had no choice but to lay off or furlough their staff.
Berkeleyside, a local organization itself that is taking a coronavirus hit, is joining in other efforts (including the Berkeley Relief Fund, initiated by the city of Berkeley) to help those workers.
Today we launched a “Pitch in for local workers” page so that the community can more easily find and donate to fundraisers launched by local businesses for their staff. Bookmark the link or click the “Help local workers” link in the main navigation bar to find the page anytime.
Here’s how it works: Local businesses and nonprofits in Berkeley, Oakland and Emeryville that have launched fundraising campaigns for their workers (and there are many, often using GoFundMe) are invited to submit details of their fundraisers through a form that’s on the Pitch in to help local workers page.
If the fundraiser meets our criteria we will add it to the page, no charge. We will be promoting the page as much as possible to make sure as many people as possible see it. That’s it.
It’s one local community-oriented organization helping others. We’re all in this together.
