Restaurant and hospitality workers from Carbon and Monroe counties can now apply for $250 mini grants from the Pocono Mountains United Way and Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau.

On Monday, the two agencies combined to announce a brand-new hospitality and restaurant worker relief fund offering help to restaurant and hospitality employees in the four counties making up the Pocono Mountains Region.

“These individuals continue to show up. They smile while their hearts break. They offer discounts on their most prized dishes just to put bread on their own plates. Now, they need our help more than ever,” said Michael Tukeva, President/CEO of the Pocono Mountains United Way.

Restaurant servers have followed COVID-19 guidelines and restrictions for the better part of a year. They’ve worked fewer hours with fewer tables, and now face a ban on indoor dining during one of their busiest seasons.

“We’re following all the protocols and it’s still not good enough,” said Sierra Devlin, a server at Barley Creek Brewing Company in Monroe County.

Tourism is a big part of the economy in the Pocono Mountains. About 35,000 people work in jobs related to tourism and hospitality, providing the majority of the region’s wage income.

Carbon County is an important part of the Pocono Mountains region and its tourism economy.

“We thought we wanted to do something no matter where the server or hospitality worker was in our four-county area, in order to get them through Christmas,” said Chris Barrett, President/CEO of the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau.

The pandemic’s impact on restaurants and their employees will be long-lasting and in many cases, permanent.

The recent prohibition on in-person dining comes on the heels of months of restrictions which have put financial strain on employees and their families. Even before the pandemic, many people were working paycheck to paycheck - about 43 percent of Monroe County residents, Tukeva said.

“It’s addressing the population who are one crisis away from losing it all - whether they have an auto repair or water heater break - that could devastate their household. Something like this allows us to put an infusion of hope into their lives,” he said.

The fund already has nearly $70,000 available, with $50,000 coming from the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau.

Other donors include the Mattioli Foundation, United Way of Lackawanna and Wayne counties, ESSA Bank & Trust, and Karl & Ann Weiler. The goal is to raise at least $100,000 in all.

“We’re hoping at some point to give about 400 servers $250 grants if they qualify. We’ll continue to raise money as long as we have to,” Barrett said.

Applications for mini grants as well as donations are currently being accepted at poconounitedway.org/covid-19.