Support SMU Dining Hall Staff Impacted by COVID-19

Due to sudden changes in the number of students on campus, 240 dining hall workers have been furloughed. COVID-19 presents enormous challenges for the workers at SMU. Many are struggling to put food on the table, pay rent, buy basic needs, and afford health care.

This GoFundMe campaign was created to provide immediate help to the dining hall workers of Arnold and Umphrey-Lee. Together, we can help them and their families stay afloat during this time by helping them pay for groceries, rent, healthcare costs, and other urgent needs. They’ve cared for us; now it’s our turn to care for them.

Here’s how it works:

1. SMU dining hall workers are eligible to apply for the funds. Here is a link to the application: https://bit.ly/3hLB2l5

2. The SMU Unsung Heroes team will vet the applicants and send a max grant of $400 to the workers in need. Payments will be sent via PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle. We’ll post updates on this page so that people know exactly where the funds are going.

The goal is to raise $20,000 so that we can give $400 grants to 50 workers who are in need during this difficult time. If we raise $40,000, that means 100 workers and their families will be impacted, and so on. All funds raised will be given to the dining hall workers who need help. Please give what you can, and help spread the word by using the hashtag #SupportTheSupportStaff!

This campaign is organized by Alex Fassnacht, Ben Jaksick, and Elise Johnson students of SMU and members of SMU Unsung Heroes Group