Molson Coors — the beverage conglomerate behind Coors, Blue Moon, Miller, Mickey’s and more beer brands — announced over the weekend that they would be pledging $1 million to the United States Bartenders Guild, a non-profit focused on supporting bartenders and other service industry professionals, to support those affected by bar closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Miller Lite is encouraging others to help out with a social media campaign that points people to the USBG’s National Charity Foundation’s Bartender Emergency Assistance program, which offers relief to bartenders and service professionals.
“Bartenders and service workers are essential to bringing people together… we want do our part to support the great people who make the industry what it is,” said Vice President of the Miller family of brands, Anup Shah in a statement announcing the donation.
According to Market Watch, there are about 1.3 million people who work in the food and beverage industry in the U.S., and now with statewide closures of bars and restaurants that can’t offer take-out services across every major American city due to virus mitigation efforts, that’s a lot of people who will be let go with few options and no safety net. it will take continued actions like these to help bridge the gap for workers who currently find themselves without a source of income.
