Event proceeds benefit the Cycle Oregon Fund which provides grants to Oregon’s tourism-dependent rural communities struggling during the pandemic

PORTLAND, Oregon – July 8, 2020 – The next Takeout & A Movie event, hosted by the Oregon Hospitality Foundation (OHF), will feature an interactive livestream YouTube event with bicycle adventure films from Filmed by Bike, an Oregon-produced film festival on Sunday, July 26 from 6-8 p.m. This adventure-packed movie night will take arm-chair travelers and bike enthusiasts to the far-reaching edges of the globe as international filmmakers document cyclists exploring the rugged open road. Event proceeds will benefit the Cycle Oregon Fund, which provides grants to Oregon’s rural tourism-dependent communities that are struggling during the pandemic and the Oregon Hospitality Help Fund, which supports the training and philanthropic relief needs of Oregon’s tourism and hospitality industry.

“The pandemic has postponed many larger outdoor events in Oregon, like Cycle Oregon, and we need to do what we can to support the hospitality businesses in rural communities that depend on tourism dollars,” said Steve Schulz, Executive Director of Cycle Oregon. “Our partnership with OHF and Filmed by Bike shows just how strong we can be when we collaborate on a community-based solution.”

TAKEOUT & A MOVIE Event Details

• DATE: Sunday, July 26 from 6-8 p.m. PST (or watch anytime on your own schedule)
• WHERE: Online – an interactive YouTube livestream event followed by a Q&A with organizers and filmmakers
• PRICE: $10 
• BUY TICKETS: Bitly.com/TakeOutAndAMovie

The Filmed by Bike team has gathered some of their favorite Oregon cycling routes and encourages you to explore the state by two wheels and support the restaurants, hotels and attractions that have been deeply impacted by the pandemic.

Oregon Hospitality Foundation Awards Funds to Support Restaurants’ Charitable Work 

     “Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity, not a threat” - Steve Jobs

Restaurants are selling groceries, hotels and airlines are relaxing cancellation policies, breweries and distillers are making home deliveries, and most everybody has become proficient with unmuting/muting themselves for Zoom meetings.

As our partners have sought to quickly adjust to shifting conditions with innovative solutions, so has your foundation. With the March 16 ban on indoor dining and large party gatherings, the ensuing stay at home order, and the sudden and staggering layoffs that followed, we realized that our role as Oregon hospitality industry’s nonprofit could also evolve. 

Expanded Purpose and Creating Opportunities 
We felt that seeking grants and collaborating with philanthropic donors could potentially enable us to offer financial relief and direct technical support to our partners. Before we could proceed with these strategies, we had to legally expand our purpose to include charitable support. On March 31st, the foundation’s Board of Directors met to approve an additional philanthropic focus to our mission and expanded our Articles of Incorporation filed with Oregon’s Secretary of State.

A New Name 
In the same meeting, the board approved a new name for ORLA’s Education Foundation which would better reflect the diversity of partnerships that our workforce, educational, and now philanthropic projects include. Meet the Oregon Hospitality Foundation (OHF)! The resolution was approved the following week by ORLA’s Board of Directors. OregonHospitalityFoundation.org

Big Hearts and New Partnerships 
Even with restaurants having to lay off staff and either close operations entirely or quickly pivot to the takeout/delivery model, I was inspired, though not surprised, by the focus they also had to help support their community’s food needs.

Without work, and with unemployment benefits slow to arrive, there was suddenly an overwhelming number of people experiencing food insecurity.  I noticed how many restaurants were rising to meet those needs by offering meals–many of which were funded from their own dwindling cash reserves. 

Simultaneously, I became aware of a virtual benefit for theaters. It was hosted and streamed online by filmmakers from PHOENIX OREGON and I participated. I fell in love with the film’s premise, its encouraging message, and the portrayal of one of the movie’s central characters, a chef, who epitomized the entrepreneurial and passionate nature of many restaurateurs. (If you have not seen it yet, I highly recommend: PhoenixOregonMovie.com).  

I reached out to Annie Lundgren, the producer, to see if she was interested in collaborating on something similar for the food industry. Just a few quick weeks later, we were launching the foundation’s first fundraiser, Takeout & A Movie. This joint effort, which ran from May 7-17, was a benefit for restaurants who were serving meals to our front-line heroes and to those experiencing food insecurity. It was conceived with triple benefits in mind—drive takeout throughout the state, donate cash to eligible restaurants and provide work for their employees, and provide meals.

Response was strong; see a story run by KOIN 6 TV at bit.ly/KOIN6TakeoutStory. Over 650 tickets were sold. Comments from ticket purchasers were heart-warming and included:

• Good luck to all the hospitality workers. We miss you.
• Thank you!! Ordered takeout from Artemis Foods.
• Thank you for feeding the hungry and for sponsoring such a cool event!
• Sending much gratitude for all that you do to help others and strengthen our sense of community in this difficult time!!  You are greatly appreciated!
• This is a wonderful way for all of us to share food, camaraderie, and companionship. Thank you for all you have done for us and are doing for those in need now.
• Thanks for all you do! We are ordering dinner from Cabezon, one of our favorite local restaurants, and planning to watch the movie as part of our Mother's Day celebration.

The event has not only resulted in new relationships that will help us create additional fundraisers but has been an amazingly rich and grounding experience for me personally. I have had the privilege of working with so many kind and generous people who are passionate about their work, while helping others, and who prove that #StrongerTogether is much more than a hashtag.

Immediate Results 
The foundation felt it important to use 100 percent of proceeds the OHF received from the Takeout promotion to benefit eligible restaurants because we wanted to make a significant impact with our first fundraising effort. Thanks to ticket sales, contributions from individuals and the Oregon Hospitality Foundation, and a generous donation from Grubhub, we were able to provide funds for an estimated 11,500 meals to restaurants who are committed to supporting our frontline heroes and those experiencing food insecurity.

First Award Recipients 
We’re happy to announce the first ten recipients of our fundraising effort. More awards, made to restaurants throughout the state, will soon follow along with an announcement of our next movie fundraiser. Thank you for your support!​

• 7 Devil’s Public House, Coos Bay ($2,640): Created the Community Meal Program to provide family-sized take-and-bake meals to unemployed service industry workers, as well as comforting soup deliveries to the homeless community.
• Botanist House, Portland ($8,000): Created a new model to use ongoing donations to hire drivers and deliver 750 meals per day to unemployed service industry professionals.
• Celilo Restaurant, Hood River ($6,900): Prepared Meal Kits twice a week for foodservice industry workers, essential workers and food-insecure families. To date, Celilo has prepared and delivered over 1,000 meals with the help of donations from local farms and vendors and individual sponsorships.
• Falafel Republic, Ashland ($2,700): Created the “Pita with a Purpose” program to provide healthy meals for essential workers, food-insecure families, first responders and school food programs.
• Portland Mercado and Clackamas Women’s Services, Portland and Oregon City ($4,380): The Mercado Meals partnership between the Mercado’s vendors and Clackamas Women’s Services feeds domestic and sexual violence survivors sheltered in alternative housing during the pandemic. Funding will provide support for over 350 additional meals.
• Harbor Light Restaurant, Reedsport ($2,000): Prepared over 500 fresh meals and desserts for families at the local food bank, Project Blessing. Funding will support 2 weeks of dinners for this organization.
• Northwest Pizza, Ashland ($4,520): Provided meals for the homeless community every week, as well as donated over $1,000 worth of gift cards to food-insecure school families. This grant will expand food donations to the homeless community and more local schools.  
• Restaurant O, Coos Bay ($2,060): Created the Pay it Forward program to provide meals to homeless children, first responders and foster care families.
• Rudy’s Steakhouse, Salem ($4,140): Created the program Crisis Meals to provide meals to first responders and unemployed workers. To date, Rudy’s has provided over 8,000 meals in the local Salem community.
• Toro Bravo Restaurant Group, Portland ($3,800): Created the Feed it Forward PDX program to feed the homeless community at P:ear, Rose Haven, and New Avenues for Youth. They also provided free food bags for anyone in need and a sliding scale pay structure for meals to healthcare workers on the frontline.

See the press release for full details at Oregonrla.org/hospitalityhelp. Also, at press time, there were still funds available to award. If you, or anyone you know, fit the criteria please apply at Oregonrla.org/takeoutapp.

Thank You
As you probably have realized from your own experiences the past couple months, innovation is not something that can be accomplished alone. None of what OHF has accomplished thus far would be have been possible without the enthusiastic support of ORLA’s crew and the people and organizations below that expand and make our team even stronger.

• Valerie H. Sasaki and her colleagues at Samuels Yoelin Kantor LLP who proactively offered pro bono assistance with the legal requirements and actions for OHF’s expansion and name change requirements. 
• The WHH Foundation that proactively reached out to see how they could support Oregon’s hospitality industry and provided a grant to assist us in our transitional needs. 
• Annie Lundgren and her team at JOMA Films for their model partnership with Takeout & A Movie. 
• Grubhub Community Relief Fund for their generous donation to Takeout & A Movie. 
• OHF’s volunteer Board of Directors for their expertise, enthusiasm, and guidance.

Unfortunately, looking toward the upcoming fiscal year, the foundation anticipates a 75 percent drop in revenue due to contract funding changes. Your in-kind and financial contributions are greatly appreciated so that we may sustain and continue our good work. | Wendy Popkin, Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association, Oregon Hospitality Foundation

     “Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you’ll be able to see further” - Thomas Carlyle

About 
Wendy Popkin is the Executive Director of the Oregon Hospitality Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting the restaurant and lodging industry’s education and training needs as well as providing charitable work, economic relief, and technical assistance to the industry. Wendy is a 30+-year career veteran who describes herself as “fanatically enthusiastic about helping others enjoy the same type of fabulous career opportunities I have enjoyed in the hospitality industry.”  Oregonrla.org/Foundation

Takeout & A Movie’s first virtual screening of PHOENIX OREGON provided the funding for 11,500 meals through a grant from the Grubhub Community Relief Fund, ticket sales, and OHF support
​
PORTLAND, Oregon – June 5, 2020​– While the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting everyone, the hospitality industry was the first hit by closures and one that has been especially devastated by its impact. The Oregon Hospitality Foundation (OHF) is proud to announce awards to ten restaurants throughout Oregon that responded to the incredible need for food by creating innovative programs to help feed their communities – from essential workers to unemployed restaurant staff and food-insecure neighbors. In addition to the generous support from the Grubhub Community Relief Fund, OHF will donate a percentage of proceeds from its virtual event series, Takeout & A Movie to support restaurants across the state that are making a difference in our communities. 

According to the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association, as of April 2020 81% of restaurant employees (approximately 127,000 people in Oregon) had been laid off or furloughed. “Being of service is at the heart of the hospitality industry,” said OHF Executive Director Wendy Popkin. “The Oregon Hospitality Foundation is proud to help raise funds and contribute to family-owned restaurants across the state who are stepping up to feed people in their communities.”

OHF Hospitality Help Fund Restaurant Awards
The following Oregon restaurants received funds for their ongoing work to feed frontline workers, food-insecure citizens, and unemployed service industry professionals:
​

• 7 Devil’s Public House, Coos Bay ($2,640): Created the Community Meal Program to provide family-sized take-and-bake meals to unemployed service industry workers, as well as comforting soup deliveries to the homeless community.
• Botanist House, Portland ($8,000): Created a new model to use ongoing donations to hire drivers and deliver 750 meals per day to unemployed service industry professionals.
• Celilo Restaurant, Hood River ($6,900): Prepared Meal Kits twice a week for foodservice industry workers, essential workers and food-insecure families. To date, Celilo has prepared and delivered over 1,000 meals with the help of donations from local farms and vendors and individual sponsorships.
• Falafel Republic, Ashland ($2,700): Created the “Pita with a Purpose” program to provide healthy meals for essential workers, food-insecure families, first responders and school food programs.
• Portland Mercado and Clackamas Women’s Services, Portland and Oregon City ($4,380): The Mercado Meals partnership between the Mercado’s vendors and Clackamas Women’s Services feeds domestic and sexual violence survivors sheltered in alternative housing during the pandemic. Funding will provide support for over 350 additional meals.
• Harbor Light Restaurant, Reedsport ($2,000): Prepared over 500 fresh meals and desserts for families at the local food bank, Project Blessing. Funding will support 2 weeks of dinners for this organization.
• Northwest Pizza, Ashland ($4,520): Provided meals for the homeless community every week, as well as donated over $1,000 worth of gift cards to food-insecure school families. This grant will expand food donations to the homeless community and more local schools.  
• Restaurant O, Coos Bay ($2,060): Created the Pay it Forward program to provide meals to homeless children, first responders and foster care families.
• Rudy’s Steakhouse, Salem ($4,140): Created the program Crisis Meals to provide meals to first responders and unemployed workers. To date, Rudy’s has provided over 8,000 meals in the local Salem community.
• Toro Bravo Restaurant Group, Portland ($3,800): Created the Feed it Forward PDX program to feed the homeless community at P:ear, Rose Haven, and New Avenues for Youth. They also provided free food bags for anyone in need and a sliding scale pay structure for meals to healthcare workers on the frontline.

Oregon restaurants interested in applying for these funds can complete an online application here.

TAKEOUT & A MOVIE Event Helps to Fund over 11,500 Meals
OHF’s new fundraising event, Takeout & A Movie, kicked off in May with its first virtual screening of the film PHOENIX OREGON followed by a Q&A with the film’s directors and actors, hosted by OHF Executive Director Wendy Popkin. The successful event was a partnership with Joma Film’s Annie Lundgren. Via a generous donation from the Grubhub Community Relief Fund, event ticket sales, and money contributed from OHF, enough money was raised to fund an estimated 11,500 meals. The next movie in the series will be announced in June. 

About Oregon Hospitality Foundation
The Oregon Hospitality Foundation (OHF) was established in 1992 and is a nonprofit 501c3 that supports the charitable relief needs and ongoing educational and training requirements of Oregon’s Hospitality industry. OHF’s partners include restaurants, lodging, attractions, and other tourism businesses and organizations throughout Oregon. Recently, OHF created the Oregon Hospitality Help Fund as an emergency relief fund to raise money for its hospitality partners whose businesses and employees are struggling during the pandemic. For more information about supporting our work with a donation or sponsorship, please visit www.oregonhospitalityfoundation.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

Media Contact:
Lisa Hill, lisa@lisahillpr.com, 503.730.8055

Takeout & A Movie’s first virtual screening of PHOENIX OREGON provided the funding for 11,500 meals through a grant from the Grubhub Community Relief Fund, ticket sales and OHF support. 

PORTLAND, Oregon – May 27, 2020 – While the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting everyone, the hospitality industry was the first hit by closures and one that has been most devastated by its impact. The Oregon Hospitality Foundation (OHF) is proud to announce its first round of awards to restaurants throughout Oregon who responded to the incredible need for food and created innovative programs to help feed their communities – from essential workers to unemployed restaurant staff and food-insecure neighbors. In addition to the generous support from the Grubhub Community Relief Fund, OHF will donate proceeds from its virtual event series, Takeout & A Movie to support statewide restaurants that are making a difference in our communities. Future movie events will support other initiatives such as culinary training programs.

According to the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association, as of April 2020, 81% of restaurant employees, approximately 127,000 people in Oregon, had been laid off or furloughed. “Being of service is at the heart of the hospitality industry,” said OHF Executive Director Wendy Popkin. “The Oregon Hospitality Foundation is proud to help raise funds and contribute to family-owned restaurants across the state who are stepping up to meet the needs of people in their communities.”

OHF Hospitality Help Fund Restaurant Awards
The first round of restaurants to receive funds for their work to feed frontline workers, food insecure citizens, and unemployed service industry professionals, include:

• Botanist House, Portland: Created a new model to use ongoing donations to hire drivers and deliver 750 meals per day to unemployed service industry professionals.
• Restaurant O, Coos Bay: Created the Pay it Forward program to provide meals to homeless children, first responders and foster care families.
• Rudy’s Steakhouse, Salem: Created the program Crisis Meals to provide meals to first responders and unemployed workers. To date, Rudy’s has provided over 8,000 meals in the local Salem community.
• 7 Devil’s Public House, Coos Bay: Created the Community Meal Program to provide family-sized take-and-bake meals to unemployed service industry workers, as well as comforting soup deliveries to the homeless community.
• Toro Bravo Restaurant Group, Portland: Created the Feed it Forward PDX program to feed the homeless community at P:ear, Rose Haven, and New Avenues for Youth. They also provided free food bags for anyone in need and a sliding scale pay structure for meals to healthcare workers on the frontline.

Oregon restaurants interested in applying for these funds can complete an online application here.

Takeout & A Movie Event Helps to Fund over 11,500 Meals
OHF’s new fundraising event, Takeout & A Movie kicked off in May with its first virtual screening of the film PHOENIX OREGON followed by a Q&A with the film’s directors and actors, hosted by OHF Executive Director Wendy Popkin. The successful event was a partnership with Joma Film’s Annie Lundgren. Via a generous donation from the Grubhub Community Relief Fund, event ticket sales and money contributed from OHF, enough money was raised to fund an estimated 11,500 meals. The next movie in the series will be announced in June. 

About Oregon Hospitality Foundation
The Oregon Hospitality Foundation (OHF) was established in 1992 and is a nonprofit 501c3 that supports the charitable relief needs and ongoing educational and training requirements of Oregon’s Hospitality industry. OHF’s partners include restaurants, lodging, attractions and other tourism businesses and organizations throughout Oregon. Recently, OHF created the Oregon Hospitality Help Fund as an emergency relief fund to raise money for its hospitality partners whose businesses and employees are struggling during the pandemic. For more information about supporting our work with a donation or sponsorship, please visit www.oregonhospitalityfoundation.org and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.


Media Contact:
Lisa Hill, Lisa@lisahillpr.com, 503.730.8055