A New Nonprofit Will Help Food Service Workers Survive Medical Debt Emergencies | Eater Portland

"Set up as a new nonprofit to help food service and agricultural workers facing medical-debt crises, I see Family Meal focusing on immediate financial relief—paying rent, covering groceries, and keeping workers afloat when hospital stays and missed shifts threaten eviction or lost wages—rather than trying to pay medical bills themselves. With around 90 percent of restaurant workers uninsured or underinsured, the group raises funds through partnerships with restaurants (including Ox, Ava Gene’s, Lardo, Boxer Ramen, Gado Gado, Fried Egg I’m In Love, St. Jack, and Oui Wine Bar & Restaurant at SE Wine Collective), fundraising dinners (twice a year, with the first on January 11 featuring Earl Ninsom of Eem, Erik Van Kley of Arden, Sam Smith of Tusk, and pastry chef Nora Mace, plus wine pairings donated by Maloof and Cameron), wine-label collaborations (Pago Casa Gran’s Falcata will donate $1 per bottle), and direct donations; applicants apply on the website, a board review committee weighs needs against available funds and may request more financial details, and the organization plans to begin accepting donations November 1 and to start issuing relief grants in mid-December." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden