D.C. beer hall and event space Hook Hall has revived its Hook Hall Helps program, which fed hundreds of restaurant workers and their families a week during the pandemic’s first wave, in conjunction with the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington.
The decision was based partially on the District’s order banning indoor dining at restaurants starting Wednesday night, likely to lead to more restaurant employee furloughs, or considerably fewer hours of work.
It is distributing free meals and supply kits every Monday from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at its 3400 Georgia Avenue NW location. Struggling restaurant workers being furloughed receive a variety of family meals to last three to four days.
Between March and June, Hook Hall Helps provided more than 500 meals a week, and raised more than $575,000 in donations to keep the program going.
The program is good for restaurants too.
Hook Hall Helps compensates kitchens for providing the meals. Restaurants can sign up online to provide meals.
Restaurant industry workers can preregister for meal distribution via email at meals@HookHallHelps.com. Preregistration is not required, but it helps chefs to know how many meals are anticipated.