At its heart, the service industry is about families: the ones we’re born into, and the ones we choose. That’s why Bar & Restaurant has long supported CORE: Children of Restaurant Employees. CORE’s mission is to support employees in the food and beverage service industry with children who face a medical crisis, injury or a natural disaster.
An average CORE grant is $2,400, and provides financial relief to families facing one of these life challenges.
2022 marks the 10th year that CORE will be at Vibe Conference, and their third year at Bar & Restaurant Expo, alongside our other charity partner, Southern Smoke Foundation.
Since 2019, CORE has helped almost 1,000 families get back on their feet after disaster. You can read more about their amazing work here. We caught up with the CORE team to talk about Bar & Restaurant Expo, and how the company has evolved since we last saw them.
How is CORE feeling about coming back to Bar & Restaurant Expo this year?
Gretchen James, Corporate Partnerships Director, will be returning this year. She is looking forward to reconnecting with partners, including the Questex Team, meeting new partners and increasing the visibility of CORE.
How was your experience last year?
We were thrilled to be included last year with a table, a red carpet walk, and a donation! Our team members that attended last year learned a lot about the event, the industry and met some longtime CORE partners face-to-face. It was our first event post-COVID-19 and it was great to see so many supporters in person!
Have there been any changes to CORE since the last show we should know about?
As the visibility of CORE increases, so does the demand which in turn means our team is growing to meet the demand.
Have you noticed an increase in need, or a change in the type of resources people need over the last few months?
Last year the number of single parents that CORE helped increased to 58% of CORE grantees. A Technomic study conducted in November 2021 found that 55% employees in the F&B Industry have legally dependent children. We know that as more people enter or come back to the industry, that number will increase.
In addition to donations, how can people support your work?
Connect employees that may qualify for a grant to CORE at www.coregives.org. Operator can display the CORE Back of House in your restaurant or bar. You can partner with suppliers, tech companies, vendors and other CORE partners to raise money through product promotions, guest donations, fundraising dinners/events or other fun activities. Volunteer for CORE as an Operator Brand Ambassador and learn about CORE grant criteria to help employees in your operation that may qualify for a grant. Or, you can sign up to serve as a CORE Ambassador and share information about CORE to operators in your community and through social media. Plus, you can volunteer at an event like these conferences to talk to attendees about CORE and how we help those that serve us every day! Come visit us at Bar and Restaurant Expo and VIBE!
Learn more about CORE: Children of Restaurant Employees at www.coregives.org
Make sure to say hello to the CORE: Children of Restaurant Employees team at Bar & Restaurant Expo. Bar & Restaurant Expo (formerly Nightclub & Bar Show) is a live, in-person event held March 21-23, 2022 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Click here get your tickets now!
For sponsorship opportunities, contact Fadi Alsayegh at [email protected], Veronica Gonnello at [email protected] or Tim Schultz at [email protected].
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