It snowed yesterday and today. It’s chilly but not too horrible and all I’ve really needed is a thick sweater to stay warm in our drafty apartment (it’s not that bad).
A RANT: LEAVING US TO DIE
So, the Stimulus Package passed, awesome. But I’m still not expecting anything, or any help financially from the government right away. They already nickel and dimed the country, the people who need the money the most right now, a one-time payment of $1,200 is nothing when looking at the average cost of living, especially for families making less than $30,000/year AND the minimum wage ($7.25/hour).
What it really feels like is a slap in the face. Not only did I lose my job because of the spread of COVID-19 but I’ve lost my health insurance. I keep thinking about the people with families that lost their health insurance, the older employees that couldn’t retire, everyone living paycheck to paycheck, some of which already didn’t have benefits. But those that had benefits through their employers that lost them when they lost their jobs, those that are in the age range with a higher chance of becoming terminally ill or worse dying from COVID-19, I don’t know what they’re going to do. I feel like for many of us, we’re being left to die, if we don’t lose our lives or people we care about we are going to lose everything else with the risk of eviction, collections, bankruptcy, and homelessness.
But I’m trying to stay positive, focused, and busy despite everything’s that’s going, despite the warning signs I have been seeing for the past two weeks that it’s not going to get better any time soon.
Writing, reading, but mainly searching for online jobs and applying to a minimum of one or two a day. And it’s hard. I’ve been applying regularly like this every single day since March 16th. I have to keep trying.
UNEMPLOYMENT
I have not been given a definitive date as to when I can expect my first unemployment check. And tomorrow I have to refile for the week. I’ve heard from friends, co-workers, and others who have had to use unemployment that their first check didn’t arrive until three or four weeks after the first time they filed.
And the monthly unemployment benefits that I was estimated to receive will barely be over $600/month. That doesn’t even cover my share of rent or utilities. I’m hope I’m just looking at it wrong, I hope it really will be more now that the Stimulus Bill passed. But I am still not expecting any help from the Government or the President since they’ve proven through their corporate bailouts who it is they really care about.
“quarantined” Original Art Work March 26, 2020 by Alina Happy Hansen
I used a reference photo I found on Instagram and then made it my own. I should’ve used watercolors or something brighter to color it (just used colored pencils and a highlighter). But I still like it.
MUSIC
Nine Inch Nails released their albums GHOSTS V-VI for FREE! I downloaded them and they are amazing. Totally gives the my life right now an official soundtrack. Love it!
Thank you for reading and being a part of my life during this strange time. Stay well and stay safe out there!
Liked this blog post? Feel free to check out more in this series ?
On April 19th, I equally divided the Tip Your Server Donation fund plus a $100 contribution from a friend, a total of $600 among me and four other co-workers. I contacted all of the co-workers listed in this post below as well as fellow co-workers from Wasatch that I used to work with. Four co-workers came forward and said they were in need of some help $. On Sunday, I disbursed the funds equally among us, $120 each. I am glad that I could help my co-workers and I am so grateful to the Tip Your Server Donation and my friend that contributed $100, Thank you.
UPDATE:
On 4/7/2020 I was notified by Squatters that our company was picked out of the Tip Your Server Lotto. I was one of the five tipped employees randomly chosen to receive $500 from this donation.
I have decided that after I receive this money, I will be dividing it up equally among me and my co-workers that need it the most. I want to say thank you to the Tip Your Server Donation, the Downtown Alliance Salt Lake City, Thank you to Ty Burrell and the Salt Lake City Mayor Erin Mendenhall. Thank you for your help, I deeply appreciate it, we deeply appreciate it!
The goal of this post is to provide VENMO links to my fellow employees of Squatters and Wasatch Pubs in Salt Lake City, Utah. We have been LAID OFF INDEFINITELY with no financial compensation during the COVID-19 Pandemic. For most of us, our only job(s) were as restaurant employees. Any amount you can spare to help us get through this hard time would be deeply appreciated as we file for unemployment and look for new jobs.
I am a full-time employee at Squatters Pub Brewery in Downtown Salt Lake. This job was the only source of income for me and countless fellow employees. After the restaurant ‘closure’ for dine-in service our corporate office communicated with us that we could come in and clean the restaurant for hourly pay. They were never clear as to how much that hourly was going to be and I have yet to hear what that hourly was for those that went in and worked when they could.
In the state of Utah, employers are not required to pay servers more than $2.15/hour. We do not get paid/sick leave and for many of us (before COVID-19) we couldn’t even request time off for vacations/emergencies.
On Friday, March 20th 2020, all employees (including management) for Squatters Pub Brewery and our sister company Wasatch Brew Pub wereLAID OFF INDEFINITELY, approximately 98% of all labor until the COVID-19 pandemic blows over and restaurants can open again. They decided to do this so we could file for unemployment. I was just notified by a fellow employee of Squatters (Server Chelsea: her info below) that her first unemployment check is not due to arrive for another 3 weeks.
HELP
We have rent/mortgages & bills to pay, we need groceries and supplies. More importantly, we need help and jobs asap.
Below are VENMO links to my fellow employees of Squatters and Wasatch. Any amount you can spare to help us get through this hard time would be deeply appreciated as we file for unemployment and look for new jobs.
LINKS, NAMES, and VENMO’s have been deleted as of 7/25/2020 for the safety of persons involved.
Other Resources to help Service Industry Employees in Utah right now:
All local SLC restaurants and bars must register their businesses with this donation then employees can be verified and money distributed after March 25th. So far this donation has raised approximately $141,000 for the estimated 15,000 restaurant employees in Salt Lake City.
Our company has registered with this donation.
If you want to help us and donate to other restaurant employees in SLC please donate to tipyourserver .
More resources to help Service Industry Employees in the U.S.
My name is Alina and I am a writer, artist, poet, and musician. I have been blogging and posting original content on alinahappyhansenwriter.com since March 2017. I am a graduate from The University of Utah with a Bachelor’s of Arts in English with a Minor in Writing and Rhetoric Studies. I have had half a dozen poems published in the last five years and have actively been reading my Poetry locally in Salt Lake City since my Utah Arts Festival Reading in June 2018.
I have been working in the Service Industry/Restaurants since 2016. From 2016 to 2018, I worked at Wasatch Brew Pub sister company to Squatters Pub Brewery. At Wasatch, I worked full-time as a Hostess, in charge of training new hires to host, restaurant policies and procedures, and most importantly providing the best customer service possible. In June 2018, I moved to Downtown Salt Lake City and started working as a full-time Hostess at Squatters Pub Brewery. I worked full-time at Squatters until March 20th, 2020 when I was LAID OFF INDEFINITELY with NO PAY due to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Pandemic. As an employee of Squatters, I excelled at my job as a Hostess and later trained and worked other job duties including Expediter and Busser.
I miss my job and my friends at work and I just want to help in any way I can during these uncertain times.
If you would like to support me, I am handwriting Poems for $. For more info on this please go to SUPPORT ALINA: POEMS FOR $. So far I have already completed FOUR POETRY ORDERS FOR $ as of 3/22. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your support both financially and emotionally during this time.
When I get a job I will continue to write POEMS FOR $ and I will be sending all the money I earn directly to my fellow employees of Squatters and Wasatch who need it the most.
Thank you for your time, your consideration, and your love.
Best of luck to you all, stay safe and stay well out there!
Want to become one of my Patrons? Go to my page here and join a tier. All patrons regardless of Tier have access to all of my patron-only content right now! Tiers start at $3/month! I will also send you via snailmail a handwritten personalized Poem + Thank you card for becoming a patron.
Become a Subscriber! Get notified when new posts are published plus once a week I will send content just for you: poem, personal update, reading list, writing tips and more!
UPDATE: As of 4/17/2020, I have completed 15 POEMS for $! THANK YOU!
Original personalized handwritten poem “Summer Days” by Alina Happy Hansen for an Anonymous Supporter
AS OF MARCH 16th, 2020 DUE TO THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 AND THE CLOSURE OF ALL RESTAURANTS AND BARS IN SALT LAKE CITY UTAH FOR 30 DAYS, I HAVE NO INCOME SOURCE (I WORK FULL-TIME IN A LOCAL PUB BREWERY).
Original personalized handwritten poem “Dance With You” by Alina Happy Hansen for an Anonymous Supporter
UPDATE: On Friday, March 20th, I was officially LAID OFF INDEFINITELY from my job at Squatters Pub Brewery in Downtown Salt Lake City. They gave us no financial compensation and LAID OFF approximately 98% of staff including management.
Original personalized handwritten poem “Hey Man” by Alina Happy Hansen for an Anonymous Supporter
UPDATE: I received my first unemployment check on March 31st! This has helped so much. My unemployment check is not a lot a mere $270 (after taxes) but it helps pay the bills and buy food right now while I apply for online jobs.
I am currently looking for Remote work only in the following fields: copywriter, content writing, web content writer, freelance writer, technical writing, SEO marketing writer, journalist etc.
Until I get back on my feet, I am offering personalized handwritten poems to anyone who sends me any $ during this time. Any amount I would be deeply grateful for and would help me survive this next month.
When donating via Venmo, please put your email address and “poem/poetry” in the comment/’paid for’ section so I can contact you and send you your personalized poem. I send a scanned copy of your poem to you via email (pdf/jpeg), then (if you’re comfortable with it) I mail out your poem with a thank you card within 24-48 hours after I email your scanned copy.
If you are interested in helping out other service industry/restaurant employees during this time of hardship, I have posted Venmo links of all my fellow employees (who want to participate) that desperately need any $ help right now. My main concern is for my fellow employees: servers, bartenders, expos, bussers, etc who worked at Squatters Pub Brewery and Wasatch Brew Pub.
Any help $ I deeply appreciate, Thank you so much.
Become a Subscriber! Get notified when new posts are published plus once a week I will send content just for you: poem, personal update, reading list, writing tips and more!
