Allie Beth Allman’s Alex Perry and Alexis Smith say they have been devastated watching the spread of COVID-19, novel coronavirus, in their community and across the country.
Not only was the power real estate agent concerned for the well-being of many friends in the local restaurant industry, they worried, too, for the children who benefit from local charities, such as the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center.
What’s the connection?
Amidst closures of restaurants, bars, movie theaters and entertainment venues in the city of Dallas, many of the city’s largest fundraisers for charitable organizations have had to be canceled as well. Which means, the kids lose, too.
“During this trying time, I wanted to support my friends in the restaurant industry any way I could,” said Alex Perry. “I was buying gift cards and ordering takeout, and realized there was so much more I could be doing, so much more we could be doing as a community.”
Alex and Alexis pondered and came up with a strategic move to feed kids and support local restaurants: Kids Save Dallas Restaurants.
Now the pair is asking the Dallas community to come together to support small business owners in their time of need AND provide meals to the children of the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center. Alex and Alexis will use donated funds to purchase gift cards from each of the participating restaurants and donate them to the Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center. This way, they can help boost local restaurants’ business AND provide meals to the children they support.
“My goal is $100,000,” Alex told me by phone on Friday. “And we are now almost half-way there!”
“So many of us have friends in the restaurant industry, or are loyal to our favorite, local eateries,” said Alexis Smith. “Kids Save Dallas Restaurants gives us the opportunity to help both the restaurant industry AND children who are in need.”
Some of the restaurants participating in Kids Save Dallas Restaurants include: Spring Creek Barbecue, Norma’s Café, Feed Me Pronto, Terry Black’s Barbecue, Eno’s Pizza Tavern, Whisk Crêpes Café, Al Biernat’s and Easy Slider. The list grows daily.
Donations for Kids Save Dallas Restaurants are accepted through Friday, March 27, 2020.
If you are a local restaurant owner and would like to be considered for the fundraiser, please email Alexis Smith at [email protected].
For more information, or to donate, visit the GoFundMe page at https://www.gofundme.com/f/feed-kids-support-local-restaurants.
