Davide Campari Milano N : Campari Group Canada Donates $50,000 to Canada’s Bartenders Benevolent Fund

December 15, 2020 (Toronto, ON) - As part of Campari Group's #ShakenNotBroken initiative, Campari Group Canada today announced a $50,000 donation to the Bartenders Benevolent Fund, a Canadian non-profit organization that is raising much-needed funds for bartenders, servers and other hospitality staff who continue to face serious financial hardship.

The continued lockdowns across the country have certainly shaken the hospitality community.
According to research by Restaurants Canada, the hospitality and accommodation industry continues to be the hardest hit by the pandemic. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 188,000 jobs have been lost, and with recent closures, that number could rise by another 100,000¹. October saw another 48,200 jobs lost compared to September². This decline in employment represents the largest job loss of any industry and has been mostly felt in Ontario and Quebec due to targeted restrictions of on-premise dining in several regions within those provinces³. With more than 236,000 jobs to be recovered, the foodservice and accommodation industry still has the largest job loss gap of any major industry⁴.

'Campari Group Canada has been one of our most valued supporters since the start of the pandemic; following up on a significant donation in May and raising further funds for the BBF through their Negroni Week program. This latest round of support comes at a critical time for hospitality professionals across Canada, who continue to suffer from a disrupted landscape going into the usually busy holiday season and through the winter. We cannot thank them enough for their continued support of our fund and the hospitality industry as a whole across Canada,' says Jon Gray, Co-Founder, Bartenders Benevolent Fund.

In response to such startling statistics, Campari Group Canada is, in addition to its own donation, calling on businesses to donate as well. Contributions would provide financial assistance, mental health and well-being support to hospitality workers who are facing ongoing hardships. With corporate holiday parties getting canceled or pivoting to virtual celebrations, the hope is for businesses to consider donating from budgets that would have typically gone towards in-person celebrations.

'Although this has been a challenging year for many businesses, it would be extremely impactful if companies could donate even a small percentage of their holiday party budgets to help the restaurant and bar staff who would normally be at the centre of these celebrations,' says Campari Group Canada Managing Director Melanie Batchelor. 'We are hoping that the influence of community will spark a collective sense of giving.'

Through Campari Group's global #ShakenNotBroken initiative, Campari Group Canada has supported the hospitality industry throughout 2020, with plans to continue in 2021. Campari Group Canada has donated over $130,000 to support the hospitality industry. A firm believer in in the power of community, the company has also quickly pivoted plans at the Forty Creek Distillery to produce much-needed hand sanitizer to donate to local health authorities, and has partnered with different companies to buy meals for those in need.

Through this donation and other initiatives, Campari Group Canada will continue to do everything possible to support the Canadian hospitality industry in their time of significant need.

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Notations

• Restaurants Canada, published October 22, 2020
• Restaurants Canada, published November 12, 2020
• Restaurants Canada, published November 12, 2020
• Restaurants Canada, published November 12, 2020