As the COVID-19 crisis continues, Capitol Broadcasting’s divisions are working together to help our community. Here to Help: Support Local Business will host an all-day virtual fundraiser for our local Restaurant community on Thursday, March 26, 2020.
The virtual event will kick-off at 4:30am and run all day on TV, on radio and online to help raise money and bring awareness to the critical needs of restaurant workers in North Carolina.
“WRAL is connected to the community in such a unique way through Here to Help efforts,” said WRAL-TV Brand Director Heather D. Gray. “We typically see fundraising or telethons using ‘Here to Help’ during natural disasters like hurricanes but we are in a very unusual time right now.”
The coronavirus pandemic caused the NC Governor Roy Cooper to issue an executive order that closed restaurants and bars for dine-in customers.
“A CBC cross-divisional group brainstormed how we might use ‘Here to Help’ to support local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic,” continued Gray. “One urgent need we recognized was support for restaurant workers. It was a huge collaborative effort across digital, TV and radio to launch the virtual fundraiser. We know there will be additional efforts under the Here to Help umbrella in the coming days and weeks.”
Join WRAL-TV, FOX 50, WRAL.com, MIX 101.5, 99.9 The Fan and 95.7 That Station as we work with the NC Restaurant and Lodging Association (NCLRA) to raise money for the NC Restaurant Workers Relief Fund. This fund will provide immediate financial relief to restaurant and hotel workers affected by pandemic related layoffs.
How to donate:
- Visit wral.com and search “support local”
- Text HELP to 919-860-1015
About the NC Restaurant Workers Relief Fund
The NC Restaurant Workers Relief Fund will support any of the tens of thousands of restaurant and hotel employees now facing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of the fund is to quickly provide qualified applicants funds to help support immediate expenses now that they have suddenly found themselves without work.
The relief fund will be run through the NCRLA nonprofit foundation: the NC Hospitality Fund, which has provided assistance to employees and students for over 20 years. The Triangle Restaurant Workers Relief Fund, organized by Raleigh-based chef and restaurateur Ashley Christensen, will be a part of this new, larger fund.
To apply for assistance or to donate to the NC Restaurant Workers Relief Fund, visit: https://ncrestaurantrelief.com/
About CBC’s Here to Help
Here to Help is a community focused program by WRAL and Capitol Broadcasting Company (parent company of WRAL)—often used to help support our neighbors in need during difficult times. Here to Help has been activated for Hurricane Relief Efforts and for telethons. During the COVID-19 pandemic, “Here to Help: Support Local Business” has been activated to meet urgent needs in our business community.
Thanks to WRAL-TV’s Joel Davis for contributions to this capcom story and for this capcom graphic.
