Restaurant and hotel workers who have been financially impacted by COVID-19 are now eligible for $1,000 grants, thanks to the Memphis Urban League (MUL) and a $2,500,000 grant funded by Shelby County Government.
Applications are now being accepted for this one-time program. To be eligible, applicants must be 18 years or older, live and work in Shelby County at a restaurant or hotel, and have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic between October 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020.
Applications will be accepted now through April 1, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. Visit www.memul.org to apply. Grant funds will be disbursed via direct deposit until all monies have been exhausted.
“The Memphis Urban League is appreciative of Mayor Lee Harris and the Shelby County Commission for providing grant funds to empower and provide economic relief to our County’s restaurant and hotel workers amid the pandemic,” said MUL President and CEO Tonja Sesley-Baymon. “The Urban League has always stood ready to support our community in challenging times, and we are humbled by this opportunity to serve our County.”
Shelby County Commission Chairman Eddie S. Jones added, “Shelby County residents have highlighted the importance of supporting our local restaurant and hospitality workers. They have organized and rallied in support of these workers. We have listened and tried to answer the call. Our goal is for the program put together by the Urban League to help as many of our local workers as possible to recapture lost income. This group of essential workers has endured unbelievable financial hardship and played an important role in helping to keep our community safe. I am grateful that we, as a body, supported this particular funding request, and I look forward to other ways that [Shelby] County Government can move our community forward.”
Funding for the program was sponsored by Chairman Eddie S. Jones and the Shelby County Board of Commissioners.
(This information was taken from a media release written and distributed by the Memphis Urban League. It was reproduced and reposted to the St. John website for the sole purposes of informing, supporting and uplifting the community.)
