Though we are all facing difficulties and struggling to find a new sense of normal, restaurants have been some of the first and hardest hit by the recent COVID-19 disaster. For two weeks, I fumbled around my shop worrying about the impacts the coronavirus spread would have in my community. In a weird daze after reading heartbreaking emails from some of my customers as their businesses and jobs vaporized, it became clear that my normal needed to change. I needed to get involved.

I had an integral petty / line knife (forged from Hitachi 1086 carbon steel, Tacoma truck springs) almost complete that I decided to raffle it off – donating all proceeds to an advocacy and action nonprofit created by and for restaurant workers, the Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund. I’m no stranger to donating to causes I believe in but this fundraiser evolved into something I could have never imagined.

In the first couple days of posting the knife raffle, we pushed close to $1,000 in donations. And after shoutouts from both Sean Brock & Jason Knight Knives, we pushed right past $2000! I had more than achieved my personal goal. But before long, I had other wonderful artisans wanting to contribute. my friend Colin (owner and glass blower at Terrane Glass) & Jed (blacksmith and owner at Heart and Spade Forge) really boosted this from a simple knife raffle to an artisan raffle. It seemed I had just finished uploading these additions when my friends Erica Moody, metalsmith & the Wrights of ME Speak Design, reached out almost simultaneously.

With the goal of raising funds for those in need and raising awareness of the far reaching havoc the financial impact of COVID-19 is having, we foresaw that one big artisan raffle would have the biggest impact. So it was decided that a lucky winner would take it all.

Before long my life was consumed with organizing and connecting with other donors, which makes me so grateful for the craft community that has welcomed me. Talented friends across the nation reached out. Chair makers Eric Cannizzaro & Curtis Buchanan both insisted on donating as well as Butter Pat Industries, Eating Tools, Tom Beckbe, Irongrove Tool Co., Blackswan Handmade, Brien Beidler & Heather Ashton. We eventually even welcomed chef and auther Samin Nosrat’s contribution to the raffle, as well as the Instagram sensation The Tiny Chef Show, who offered his own personal cutting board and bottle cap frying pan.

The outpouring of support this raffle garnered was heartwarming and served as a great focal point in my personal life. It felt like this fundraiser assumed it’s force that took over and we couldn’t have stopped it if we tried! Everyone who was involved, entrants and donors alike, we were all acting with our hearts - being the change we want to see in the world. Over the course of the two weeks, we raised over $53,000 which continued to inspire more giving.

The day after our raffle ended, Ann Ladson took over part two with many of the same donors and overflow from the first one, she raised an additional $10,000 for Restaurant Workers Community Foundation. And right when that raffle ended, Mill Scale put together a third raffle which raised an additional $41,000. Totaling over $100k directly for restaurant workers in need.

The shear amount of love and support I have witnessed has made me tear up and laugh out loud countless times. What is most importantly learned here is that I had a thought to do something small because that’s where I’m comfortable. But I acted on my heart. Others did the same and before long, it had turned into something I would never image possible. Together we are greater than the sum of our parts.

In a post-COVID world, I hope we can act on our hearts more often, making the change we want to see in the world. And it’s never too early to start… If you feel the need to do something to help others, no matter how small, please just do it. You never know how it could inspire others to do the same.

Thank you for participating, thank you for the love.

Update: Tallahassee Magazine published a digital vignette of the project here.