Here's Everything a Restaurant Worker Needs to Have Ready in Case of Emergency

Dear Pros,

It's Chris Shepherd here. I'm a new voice for F&W Pro, but I'm a longtime member of the Food & Wine family as a 2013 Best New Chef, and current "editor in chef." In this role, I support each new cohort of Best New Chefs, making sure they have the tools they need to succeed.

I'm also the founding director of Southern Smoke Foundation, a nonprofit that provides crisis relief grants and access to no-cost mental health counseling to anyone in the food and beverage industry who meets our qualifications of working at least six months in the industry at 30 hours a week.

Crises occur every day, including medical emergencies, work closures, natural disasters, domestic violence, and other unexpected situations. Food and beverage workers need to be prepared. Are you? Do you know what documents you should always have on hand? Are you clear on how to store them to make sure you can access them at any time from any place?

We got you! The documents that Southern Smoke Foundation requests will be very similar to other emergency relief organizations, so consider this your universal list. I may know how to break down a whole hog, but like many of us in the hospitality world, I stay away from emails, computers, and office nonsense as much as I can. Our passion lies on the line, and that’s why this crisis toolkit is so important. Here are a few quick tips directly from our case management team at SSF:

Create a Google account if you don't already have one. Accounts are free and include Gmail and online file storage so you can easily access your essential documents from any device.

Learn how to access paystubs, insurance information, and other important documents you should have on hand in the case of a crisis. The team at SSF has created a handy checklist — including things like medical records, marriage certificates, and passwords.

Familiarize yourself with resources to help you in crisis like the Southern Smoke Foundation does. You can find a ton of programs with free or reduced-cost access to food, housing, financial assistance, health care, and more on findhelp.org. Just enter your zip code.

This is one that I don't think about: Always check your spam folder and make sure to whitelist domains for the agencies and services you're working with. Most communications about financial assistance applications will be via email.

Logistics aside, maintaining your mental health is one of the best ways to prepare for a crisis. We have our Behind You program in 10 states and Washington, D.C., so please consider applying if you're looking for a therapist. Southern Smoke Foundation provides access to 20 no-cost counseling sessions with training clinicians at accredited graduate-level university programs, guided by licensed supervisors. And if you don't live in one of our Behind You states, you can apply for funding to use toward mental health services via our emergency relief fund.

Crises will happen. There are organizations out there like Southern Smoke Foundation that are here for the food and beverage industry. We take care of others all the time. Now it’s time for a different type of prep.

My colleagues and I at Southern Smoke are here to serve you, so don't hesitate to reach out. Also, please forward this info to anyone you think could use it, or send them the link to this story on foodandwine.com.

Chris Shepherd