New Belgium Brewing to Donate up to $100,000 to Bar, Restaurant and Venue Workers

New Belgium Brewing has brought us the flavors of centuries-old Belgian beer styles out of its Fort Collins home for nearly 30 years. It remains a hometown favorite not only for its tasty brews, but for its social and environmental impact as well. It comes as no surprise that the company is seizing an opportunity to make a difference during the outbreak of coronavirus.

On March 26, New Belgium Brewing launched a Bar and Restaurant Relief Fund to support laid off and furloughed workers in the two communities the craft brewery operates — Asheville, North Carolina and Fort Collins, Colorado. Its intent is to lessen the economic impact of COVID-19 for these local economies. Through donations, the company aims to distribute $350 each to qualifying individual workers in need of financial assistance.

New Belgium Brewing seeded the fund itself with an initial $50,000 and will match donations up to an additional $50,000. This craft brewery is a certified B Corporation and has donated more than $26 million to charitable causes since its founding in 1991.

You do not need to have worked for New Belgium Brewing to be a qualified applicant, but you do have to meet these criteria:

    1. You were employed in a restaurant, bar, nightclub, music hall or stadium in Fort Collins, Colorado or Asheville, North Carolina
    2. You worked at least 20 hours per week at a qualified business.
    3. You have been laid off or furloughed due to the COVID-19 economic crisis and are no longer employed by that employer or another employer.
    4. You did not receive severance to cover lost income.

To submit an application and find more information on how to apply to New Belgium’s Bar and Restaurant Relief Fund, go here. To donate to New Belgium Brewing’s coronavirus relief fund, visit newbelgium.com/gives, or text “NBBGives” to 44321.

To learn more about how local bars and restaurants are helping employees weather the impacts of coronavirus, check out 303 Magazine’s article about it here.

303 Magazine, 303 Food and Booze, New Belgium Brewing, New Belgium Brewing Bar and Restaurant Relief Fund, Josie Russell

Graphic courtesy of New Belgium Brewing