TEMPO Madison—the city’s premiere organization for professional and executive women leaders–announced today that it provided $4,800 to the Wisconsin Restaurant Association and $4,200 to the River Food Pantry as part of an effort throughout the months of May and June to support the Madison community during COVID-19.
“TEMPO Madison is committed to living our organization’s mission to lead, connect and engage during this unprecedented time,” said TEMPO Madison President Shana Lewis. “Our organization and members wanted to use our collective impact to support local restaurants and address the food insecurity caused by COVID-19.”
TEMPO Madison purchased a $20 gift certificate from the Wisconsin Restaurant Association for every member that registered for a free TEMPO Madison virtual luncheon held during May and June 2020. Two hundred forty gift certificates were purchased as part of the initiative, which can now be used by TEMPO Madison members at thousands of locally-owned restaurants across the state.
TEMPO Madison members also raised $4,200 through the TEMPO Madison Foundation for the River Food Pantry’s COVID-19 Emergency Food Fund.
“COVID-19 has negatively impacted our community in countless ways. One of the growing needs is food for our most vulnerable communities. While so much is uncertain right now, you can take pride in the fact that TEMPO Madison’s commitment to making our community a better place for every individual remains unchanged,” said Leslie Petty, who serves as the TEMPO Madison Foundation President and TEMPO Madison Vice President.
In addition to the initiatives outlined above, the TEMPO Madison Board of Directors is currently planning several virtual networking events that spotlight the work of local businesses as well as encouraging each of its nearly 250 members to shop at TEMPO Madison member-owned businesses.
“Our members are leaders not only in the Madison community but also in their respective fields,” said TEMPO Madison Membership Committee Chair Michelle Vetterkind. “In addition to supporting businesses in the broader community, we are also working to promote the many wonderful TEMPO Madison member-owned businesses during this time.”
More than 150 for-profit businesses have been created by TEMPO Madison members since its inception. A listing of TEMPO Madison member-owned and operated businesses offering take-out, delivery and online sales during COVID-19 can be found at: tempomadison.org/COVID-19-Business-Support.
