Help for Young Adults in Hospitality

We want to provide financial support to young adults in hospitality in the form of grocery store gift cards. Please consider donating $19 or more.

Picture yourself in the shoes of Mitchell Chase…you had to move back home to St.Petersburg because your college, Johnson and Wales University, is temporarily closed, and on campus housing in closed. You were interning at the historic Greystone Hotel on Miami Beach, but you are now without a job. You are capable of getting a job but concerned about exposing yourself to others because you live with your grandmother, who was diagnosed with cancer a year ago and has a compromised immune system due to chemotherapy. Your #1 fan a.k.a. mom, is enduring the challenges of owning a Tampa business that leases a shared commercial kitchen. in which some clients have been forced to vacate.

Young adults like Mitchell who live, sleep, and eat hospitality, are facing unique challenges right now. When will they be able to return to work? If they are returning to finish their college education, will they have to delay their return until they have reliable work or enough money saved? Datassential, a company providing software, analytics and consumer insights for the foodservice industry recently reported that 33% of Generation Z has been laid off or furloughed. Additionally, 61% of Gen Z says money is tight.

We have identified over 10 young adults are either currently in college, or have recently graduated college. All are young in their hospitality careers and being without employment, is not only a financial challenge but a mental challenge for it is the industry in which they love and thrive on. Of the 13 young adults we have successfully engaged with during the COVID-19 pandemic, 9 of them have been let go from their jobs and 2 are experiencing reduced hours. Additionally, 1 young adult continues to work regular hours in foodservice due to employment as a hospital and the last young adult was not working prior to COVID-19 impacts but their parent who works in foodservice has lost wages.

Grocery store gift cards will provide them with the most basic needs during this challenging time. It will give them the opportunity to feed themselves, continue cooking in the kitchen, and focus on their goals over the coming months.

Thank you,

The Ryan Wells Foundation

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