Delicato Family Vineyards has donated $40,000 to Restaurants Care to support restaurant workers affected by the Thomas Fire in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties and the Wine Country fires in Napa and Sonoma counties. This generous donation means grants will continue to be available to help cover basic living expenses such as temporary lodging, food, clothing and supplies for restaurant workers who’ve either been displaced or find themselves unemployed as a result of these fires.

The help is welcome this holiday season because the need is great as fire victims who make up the workforce in these destination cities continue to face the impacts of the fires. This year’s fire season has proven especially difficult for restaurant workers in Wine Country, who rely heavily on tourism. Many of the initial applicants to Restaurants Care have noted that a lack of diners has led to reduced shifts and fewer tips, compounding their financial pressures.

Rosalinda Gutierrez, a manager at The Tipsy Taco and Cantina in Santa Rosa, lost her house and car in a wildfire there. At the same time, her restaurant was closed for days, so she lost wages. Restaurants Care is helping her buy clothes, replace household items and a laptop and cover expenses associated with evacuation.

It’s thanks to the substantial new help from Delicato Family Vineyards that Restaurants Care will be able to continue this work.

“We are honored to have the support of such a strong, California-based brand like Delicato Family Vineyards,” said Alycia Harshfield, executive director of the California Restaurant Association Foundation, which runs Restaurants Care. “With their generous donation, we will be able to support restaurant workers facing the daunting task of rebuilding their businesses and lives.”

For information on applying for grants, go to http://www.calrestfoundation.org/fires.html.

Delicato Family Vineyards is a family-owned company founded in 1924. Four generations of the Indelicato family have overseen vineyard operations and winemaking at their California properties. For more information, visit www.delicato.com.

California is home to more than 90,000 eating and drinking places that ring up more than $72 billion in sales and employ more than 1.6 million workers, making restaurants an indisputable driving force in the state’s economy. The California Restaurant Association Foundation is a non-profit that empowers and invests in California’s current and future restaurant workforce. Founded in 1981, CRAF supports the restaurant community through emergency assistance grants for restaurant workers facing a hardship, job and life skills training for 9,000 high school students each year, and scholarships.