07/27/2020
Hey Fam! As you know, we closed our doors on March 13th while we monitored the COVID-19 Outbreak. We knew this would be a week or two, and were happy to at the very least send a care package home to help folx prepare for what we now know as “self-quarantine.” We’ve never been through this before and had no idea what we were in for. This past week marked our 6th week since re-opening the café with limited hours and a limited capacity. While we’re grateful to see so many of your faces (and catch up when time allowed), the reality is this industry has been hit tremendously hard. We’ve made PUF a place where people can come to meet with a friend over lunch, work from all day, or host a large meeting. PUF has been a respite for many from the day-to-day of school and work. And of course, Fiesta Friday has been a home to the violinists, the poets, rappers, singers, and lovers from all walks of life. Sadly, this isn’t the same in a COVID-19 society.
The mission of Earth, Wind & Fuego is about job creation in a trauma-informed environment for people who face barriers to employment, which we’re no longer able to do with the café operation. Thus this will be our last week operating our café at PUF. Visit our online store to get your EWF favorites and see some new items available.
While we’ll no longer be operating a café at PUF, our company will remain. We’ll continue to offer catering, individual wellness consulting, and organizational consulting. In addition, we’ll be taking space to strategize how we can best carry out the mission of Earth, Wind & Fuego in Poughkeepsie and find a more permanent home in a post-covid society.
In the last three years we set the bar for organizational culture, obtaining an employee-retention rate that is more than 4x the national average for our industry. We refused to use loopholes that allow restaurant workers to be paid below minimum wage. We offered an employee assistance program that included free access to therapy and other supportive services. We created seven jobs for people who face barriers to employment including people who are veterans, seniors, BIPOC, LGBTQ+, disabled, formerly incarcerated and folx in recovery from drug use and/or medical or mental health conditions. We mentored teens in their first jobs and instilled culinary and entrepreneurial skills for their future. We could not have done this without your support.
While the end of this chapter is not what we saw for 2020, we know this is the right decision for us and our company. From the bottom of our hearts, we are so grateful for the love and support you’ve brought to carrying out our mission to create jobs for people who face barriers to employment.
When one door closes, another door opens. We’re ready for the next chapter, and hope you'll join us. Si se puede!
In community,
Jen & Madeline
