About Us
Pittsburgh Restaurant Workers Aid provides resources and community support to restaurant and hospitality workers who have lost financial, housing, food, and healthcare security. PRWA was built as a direct response to the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 and immediately connected restaurant workers from across the county to address the needs of workers in our industry.
Our History
In March of 2020, when restaurants first faced COVID restrictions, we recognized an immediate crisis. Many low income workers in our industry lacked financial security and could not safety access necessary resources, such as food. In less than 72 hours, our group created a delivery system to provide grocery items, diapers, pet food, cleaning supplies, and other donated products to impacted workers across Allegheny County. Since the creation of our Distribution Center, we have assisted over 1,500 individual households in Allegheny County and surrounding counties.
Even though restaurant workers comprise about 10% of the workforce in the United States, we currently make up 70% of the unemployed population in this country. PRWA understands the effects of the pandemic on our industry, and we hope to address resource gaps using outreach, direct aid response, and advocacy.
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Kacy McGill & Taylor Stessney
Co-Directors & Co-Founders
