Celebrities aren’t sitting idly by one and all when it comes to the current crisis as folks such as Guy Fieri have actually decided to help those that are being impacted the most by the pandemic. As Jeremy Dick of MovieWeb has written, Fieri has set up a relief fund that will be used for those that have seen their business or their job go under thanks to the pandemic, offering one-time $500 grants to those in need. It might not sound like a lot, but when you live on tips and a wage that, despite still being debatable since it changes from state to state, doesn’t really cover everything you need, an extra $500 is a huge boon to ask of anyone. It might keep the lights on, or keep food in the house, or even go towards something else that’s desperately needed. Some might want to grouse that Feiri and many other celebrities are doing what makes them feel better but are still living high on the hog, but this is tired old argument that has more merit when celebrities aren’t willing to do anything other than offer prayers and best wishes. Like a handful of other celebrities Fieri is actually doing something, so it’s best to be grateful and do something with the money that’s needed. That ‘one-time’ bit might turn some people off since obviously folks won’t be able to take advantage of this grant more than once, but there’s always a chance of finding a loophole that families could exploit. It wouldn’t exactly be illegal, but it would definitely be something that might be thought about if more than one family member in a household works in the restaurant business. Thinking about it, that could easily be a house payment or a couple months worth of groceries if a person’s really thinking ahead.
There are stipulations to the grant however, as a person has to have been working in the industry for at least 90 days and has to depend on the income from their job to help them survive. That’s kind of cheap as it would appear since it it excludes those that might have just come to the business recently only to be told there’s no business and therefore no money. For part-timers that are in the restaurant business for something to do, or for a little extra spare cash, it’s kind of hard to accept as well since it means that they’ll have to find some other way to get the extra money. A lot of conversation is definitely bound to head in the direction of whether or not $500 is enough money to do anything with in this day and age. Having been down to pinching pennies at a couple points in life when times were rough, I can say from personal experience that when you have a dollar and need to decide between eating and paying the electric bill, you might be enjoying a few packets of Top Ramen in the dark until you can pay the bill. The money does help, no matter what anyone wants to think, especially since it’s a chance to find some way to stretch it just enough to make something work and possibly move on to another option to keep the lights on, so to speak. Gaby Del Valle of Vox has more to say on this subject. Just because it isn’t thousands of dollars in relief doesn’t meant it’s not meaningful, and those that are the most grateful and do qualify will likely be those speaking highly of Fieri and anyone that attempts to help those that are currently hurting thank to the quarantine effects.
This is a rough time for everyone, and unfortunately businesses have already closed since they can’t sustain themselves after being closed for more than a week or two. The recovery period, whenever it starts to happen, is going to be a rough and winding road no doubt, and a lot of people are going to be looking for loans, for grants, and for any and every bit of support they can get when it comes to getting back to what they were doing. Any support that people can get between now and then is going to be valuable, not to mention absolutely needed since a lot of people are either having to go on unemployment at this time or are trying to find their way into a work force that still has plenty of need of people, even if they’re not all trained to do much else. The big hope is that things will turn out alright, but at this point a lot of people are stressing, and rightfully so, since the food and hospitality industries might not be seen as entirely essential, but they’re still highly valued by many people that are reliant upon them from time to time. At this point, taking care of them is important largely because they are a big part of any community.
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