Hospitality Action is the benevolent charity for the hospitality sector, and we are proud to have them as our official charity partners for the GourmetXperiences Collection.
Hospitality Action provides financial relief to alleviate poverty for people who work or have worked in UK hospitality. They also provide counselling, advice and signposting to people facing mental health challenges or dealing with illness, bereavement, debt or addiction – as well as running an outreach programme to keep loneliness at bay for hospitality retirees.
2020 has been a transformational year for everybody in the UK, and the hospitality sector has been at the sharp end of enforced closures and economic woes. There have been some heart-wrenching examples of lives thrown into poverty over the last few months, but also some inspirational stories that suggest the industry will come back stronger, and a nicer place to work than ever before.
Helping those who need it most
Mark Lewis, Hospitality Action CEO said: “One of the most remarkable things we’ve noticed at Hospitality Action is just how much the great British public love the hospitality industry and how far they’re prepared to go to help it get back on its feet.
“As the headlines of job losses and closures started to spread, we noticed an outpouring of solidarity for the industry with inspirational messages accompanying gifts large and small made on our website.”
Starting at £250, their grants provide short term relief to those facing sudden poverty. “We helped one man who had just £1.22 in his bank account – as a live-in worker he’d not only lost his job, but his home too,” added Mark.
“We helped him travel to his new accommodation and kit it out when he got there. Another person we helped was a vulnerable retiree who had long-since run out of money on his gas meter and would make soup with a single carrot and a potato cooked on the one electric hob he could afford to operate.”
Financial and emotional support
For many, hospitality isn’t just a job, it’s a way of life. Whether it’s having your name above the door of your own business or it’s toiling in the kitchen to build the perfect team to create knock-out dishes – hospitality gets under your skin, and it can define who you are as a person. The sudden loss of your job isn’t just about the financial impact – the mental health impacts can be devastating.
There’s no better way to mask an underlying mental health issue than by working long hours in a fast-paced and fun environment and suddenly finding oneself at home, worrying about the future, had a detrimental effect on the mental health of people across the industry.
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The Gift To Share Charity Campaign
Through our partnership with Hospitality Action, GourmetXperiences donate funds from all our sales and commissions directly to help individuals within the industry in greater need. Look out for the #GiftToShare activity on our website and social media to lend your support.
Purchase one of our Gourmet Gifts or Monetary Gift Cards, and we’ll donate a minimum of 10% of the value you spend to Hospitality Action – and when you redeem, your chosen venue will deliver an extra ‘Thank You’ to your table by way of an added value element to your meal. We are also pleased to announced that profits from the sales of the GREATEST BRITISH COLLECTION Guide 2021 will be donated to Hospitality Action.
Do you need support?
If you’re a hospitality worker and need help, you can call Hospitality Action’s confidential helpline on 0808 802 0282. There’s also a wealth of information on the Mind website – for more information and to donate, please visit hospitalityaction.org
