Barstool Fund Saves Second Rockford Restaurant

The Barstool Fund continues to do unbelievable charity work around the country. 

If you're not familiar with the Barstool fund, here's a quick recap. The website barstoolsports.com has set up a fund that directly helps out local businesses get through the pandemic.

Small businesses submit an application describing the situation that they're in. If they get selected to be part of the fund, they will receive enough funding to get them through the current month. Then the next month Barstool checks back and sees how they're doing. If they need more funding to stay open, they get more. Barstool is sticking with these businesses until the pandemic is "over" and they can survive on their own.

Currently, the Barstool Fund sits at over $33 million from over 200,000 donors. An average of about $150 per donation. They've helped saved over 200 local businesses around the country, and Rockford has been lucky enough to have two of those restaurants in town.

Sister's Thai in downtown Rockford received the good news last week.

This week it's Cucina Di Rossa that got the call. Here's the letter they submitted to Barstool:

Opening this business was a dream of mine. I was born and raised in Sicily and sharing the culture I grew up with has always been a passion of mine. My daughter who helps me manage the restaurant was diagnosed with Leukemia when she was 6 years old and relapsed right as she turned 7. Due to this setback she has grown up with an array of issues stemming from her battle with cancer. These issues have made life difficult for her physically which has made it a challenge for her to find employment in the past. My opening of the restaurant was a way for me to share my passion for Sicily as well as support my daughter. When Covid hit we had really hit our stride as a staple in the area. In Illinois we experienced 2 different shut downs limiting us to carry out and delivery only (Grubhub). We had no choice but to cut a bulk of our staff and have struggled to support the remaining staff we have. We would greatly appreciate any type of support you could provide us to allow us to get back up and running as we have been dug into a deep hole financially and the city has done nothing to provide any aid. Myself and my family greatly appreciate your consideration for support!

The videos of restaurants and small businesses getting the call that they've been accepted into the fund are always awesome and Cucina Di Rosa is no exception:

Congrats to Cucina Di Dosa for staying alive and hope things turn around for you after this.

If you're looking for a charity to support, you couldn't go wrong with the Barstool Fund. They're transparent with where the money goes and 100% of the donations go to helping small businesses.