As the Coronavirus first swept the nation, businesses across the hospitality industry were forced to shutter their doors.

Few industries laid off workers more rapidly than in food services, as nearly one in four jobs lost in March and April came from restaurants.

Watching those layoffs unfold in dismay, Washington, D.C.-based Chef Erik Bruner-Yang quickly took action to not only save his own restaurants, ABC Pony and Maketto, but also to prevent the collapse of an essential industry.

“Restaurants are communal gathering places, the heartbeat of our communities,” Bruner-Yang said. “They raise funds for the community. They’re where you go on dates or celebrate special occasions. Restaurants are extensions of our homes and when they’re removed from the community, people feel lost.”

The two-time James Beard Award finalist determined that for every $10,000 raised, Bruner-Yang could support 10 full-time food services workers at local restaurants with an hourly wage of $14.50. That restaurant could in turn provide 1,000 meals each week to homeless shelters, hospital workers and others in need.

The math was simple. The concept could make an immediate impact. The Power of 10 Initiative was born.

Driven By Purpose

Thanks in part to several generous donations, this concept became a reality in late March as it launched at three D.C. restaurants. In partnership with local nonprofits, Bruner-Yang arranged for meals to be delivered to people in need along D.C.’s H Street corridor.

“We wouldn’t have been able to keep Cane open during those first few weeks without the Power of 10 initiative,” said Peter Prime, chef and co-owner of the Trinidadian-inspired cafe Cane. “Because of Erik’s vision, we were able to provide jobs for our staff and build our carry-out business.”

Prime also teamed with The Power of 10 to serve frontline workers at Med-Star Washington Hospital Center.

“The day we delivered our final round of meals to the hospital, many of the doctors and nurses came out to meet us and express their appreciation,” Prime said. “To us, we were just cooking food like we always do, but it meant so much to them.”

Prime was grateful for the sense of purpose and meaning he gained through his work for Power of 10.

“Doing this work helped relieve our feelings of helplessness, and allowed us to exert some control on the world around us while being helpful to others,” he said. “We got to see how food really connects us on an elemental level — especially in the middle of a crisis.”

Connecting with Capital One

After seeing the initiative’s early success, Bruner-Yang worked relentlessly to help as many people in need as possible.

“At one point, we were delivering 1,000 more meals a week than we could afford, because we couldn’t bear to turn anyone away,” Bruner-Yang said. “We just kept grinding away, going through my Rolodex, asking for donations and not letting the ‘noes’ slow us down.”

In April, Bruner-Yang — who has enjoyed working with Capital One on events and dinner series in the past — received word that the bank wanted to support the initiative with grant money.

“At Capital One, the dining industry is an important community to us, and we’re committed to finding ways to support it through this difficult time,” said Andy Navarrete, executive vice president and head of external affairs at Capital One. “When we learned about The Power of 10 Initiative, founded here in our hometown of Washington, D.C. by Erik Bruner-Yang, we were excited to partner because it helps meet two needs that are very important to us: putting restaurant workers back to work while creating well-balanced meals for key community groups like frontline healthcare workers and older adults.”

Bruner-Yang was in near-disbelief when he learned of this crucial support.

“When they told me they wanted to support the initiative, that was definitely a ‘Holy S—!’ moment. It felt amazing,” Bruner-Yang said. “Suddenly, because of Capital One’s generosity, anything felt possible.”

Rippling results

Since May, this partnership has helped enable The Power of 10 to donate more than 130,000 meals and provided income to workers at 38 restaurants.

“Restaurants play a vital role in unifying the communities we serve, and we were eager to do our part to help in this urgent and unprecedented time of need,” Navarrete said. “We are grateful for the opportunity to work with Erik and The Power of 10 to support restaurants, sustain their business operations, bring restaurant workers back to work, and provide food access to those on the frontlines of our country’s fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The results of that relationship ripple across every community involved, according to Lydia Zhang, director of business development for the Peter Chang restaurant group, which includes Mama Chang in Fairfax. Every day, meals made by Mama Chang are delivered to seniors living in D.C.’s Chinatown neighborhood.

“Elderly people’s immune systems are weaker, so doing simple things like buying food puts them at greater risk,” Zhang said. “This helps stretch their groceries, so they don’t have to go out as often. Because of Erik’s vision and Capital One’s support, we’ve been able to do this while keeping all of our kitchen staff on board.”

Far reaching impact

Nationally, Capital One helped expand The Power of 10 to eight U.S. cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, Charlotte, and Richmond and Fairfax, Virginia.

“This work makes going out and putting my life at risk worthwhile, because we’re helping other people and keeping communities intact all around America,” Bruner-Yang said. “Ultimately, the initiative is really about protecting and strengthening the community you love.”