Photography fundraiser aims to help struggling foodservice workers on Lower Mainland
Posted May 6, 2021 1:04 am.
Last Updated May 6, 2021 7:23 am.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Back in March of 2020, Breaking Bread was founded to help struggling businesses in the foodservice industry to find ways to connect with customers during the pandemic.
“Behind the Plexi” is their new venture.
It’s a photography fundraiser to help restaurant workers who lost their jobs during COVID-19 retrain and upgrade their skills.
Vancouver restaurateur Brad Roark is one of the organizers.
He says the fundraiser features a raw, behind-the-scenes glimpse into 33 Lower Mainland restaurants with a collection of prints available to buy online until Monday, May 31.
“There’s about 80 photos or so. So you go on the site, select the photo, all the photos are priced at $200, and all of the money will go to the BC Hospitality Foundation.”
The money will fund two scholarships to help the beleaguered industry and the workers affected by the pandemic.
The first is the Chinese Restaurant Awards scholarship at Vancouver Community College and the other one is via the BC Hospitality Foundation.
As for the spirit of the pictures, Roark says the photos are meant to capture the work still being done in these places without customers around.
“People keep moving forward and doing the things that we know how to do. We’re trying to pay the bills and keep as many people employed as possible. So, it seemed that no customers are there, but we’re still doing the work, and we’re face masked up, and the whole idea is that we’re living life behind the Plexiglas, as are the customers.”
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Roark enthusiastically added, getting all these restaurants on-board to help with this fundraiser wasn’t very difficult at all.
“Kudos to the restaurant industry. Fewer than than 10 per cent didn’t get back to us. It’s Vancouver, we’re in this together, and there isn’t a whole lot of like selfishness in the restaurant industry. When someone’s trying to do something good, you help out any way you can.”
The photos were all donated by four local photographers: Wade Comer (@wadecomerphoto), Miranda Hudson (@hudsonny), William Luk (@mayowill) and Luis Valdizon (@whentheyfindus).
You can see all the photos up for sale here.
