It’s happening again, and with Governor Andy Beshear’s two-week, pandemic-inspired mini-shutdown of Kentucky’s restaurant and bar business underway, it’s happening … again.

In March when the Hollandaise sauce hit the fan, The LEE Initiative morphed almost overnight into an entirely different entity, launching the Restaurant Workers Relief Program as well as several subsequent projects. Here’s an overview from May

In July the program appeared to be winding down, but COVID doesn’t sleep, so here they go again. As of this evening (Wednesday, 29 July) the Relief Kitchen at 610 Magnolia will be open from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and will continue Tuesdays through Saturdays until the situation returns to passably abnormal, circa August 11.

https://www.facebook.com/TheLEEInitiative/posts/3094914273938497?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARDOZeeX9ByUZcOeB0kYKx4_BOT0906HbAfOqxAt4uYLHmVGl8khf5BAVjMYsa3wQo6U_EHKa-2QQojhkHrZXUZBuLdwPdfNyB-6QaEm2NGkd_QO3e8M5AnEpO_u7q9mF_qq68kRzzzc9DYWQQyTdOwbEhz2db8rzfyhDEytQIzq8YLkiJRRo9NymWI_HlC7MFGpFQ3HL_cmE5u1MgcRKN9v7dujEZAzfKabVdw-3UUrO3nWnBMyYrQZJG6_1xQMUuUhZehKJDCAykWuCk46m78uI1jAzyum7FOgcM3bh7yfiGNcW_O8MF-WXdaPAI4EK7Y3TG5qChsr6MMtER9zBX0wqQyY&__tn__=-R

Are you wearing your mask? Here’s the text with links.

“We started the Restaurant Workers Relief Program back in March in response to COVID-19 shutdown, to help our colleagues in the restaurant industry. We are ready now to come together again to help our bar and hospitality community. We will re-open our Relief Kitchen 610 Magnolia, starting tomorrow from 4 to 6 pm. We will be handing out dinners Tuesday – Saturday until this current shutdown is over.

“We want all our friends in the bar and hospitality industry to know that there is no stigma or judgement about being in need right now. We are all suffering and this is a way for us to connect and support each other. Come grab a meal or volunteer or help spread the word. Our bar community in Louisville is an essential part of this city.

“We are also trying to support Black owned restaurants at this time so we are rotating in meals created by amazing chefs like Four Pegs Beer LoungeSuperChefs and Boujie Biscuit.

“And to kick off opening tomorrow, we are handing out possibly the best sandwich in all of Louisville: the famous cheesesteak from Barry’s Cheesesteaks Downtown Louisville

“Thank you so much to our partners at Maker’s Mark and Audi USA who make this possible.

“We’ll need volunteers and donations to help keep this program running. Please visit www.leeinitiative.org to learn about how you can help.”

Thanks to Collis Hillebrand for the cover photo.