Struggling grocery store workers in New Orleans are getting some financial relief thanks to Avengers actor Anthony Mackie. The New Orleans native teamed up with three organizations–United Way of Southeast Louisiana, the New Orleans Council on Aging, and Entergy New Orleans–to provide grocery employees throughout the city with money to put toward their utility bills.
The United for Grocery Workers Relief Fund will provide grocery workers with a one-time $150 direct credit toward their Entergy New Orleans utility bills. “We often take for granted the people that are always there for us,” Mackie told Deadline. “Now, more than ever, it is important that we express our gratitude and appreciation.”
The fund aims to not only help grocery store workers in need right now, but also to help the community recognize that these workers–who have hourly-wage jobs and oftentimes don't have basic workplace protections like paid sick leave–are essential year-round, not simply during a state of emergency.
Those who want to apply for the credit must work in a Louisiana-owned grocery store in Orleans Parish and show proof of employment along with a power bill. The application is available online, and anyone who needs help filling it out can call 211 or reach out to administration@nocoa.org.
If you’re not a grocery store worker in New Orleans but live in the area or want to help out from wherever you reside in the world, you can easily donate to the fund online.
