SAN FRANCISCO – Waterbar, San Francisco’s beloved waterfront seafood restaurant, will donate a portion of sales from its famous oysters to benefit victims of the wine country fires.

This generous donation – five cents per oyster sold during the first quarter of the year – will be made to Restaurants Care, the program that gives cash grants to restaurant workers who face unexpected hardship.

“Each quarter, we choose a different cause to benefit from our Oyster Give Back program,” said Pete Sittnick, co-owner of San Francisco’s Waterbar. “This quarter feels particularly meaningful because it’s supporting people in our restaurant community who were affected by this natural disaster in our backyard. It really hits home for us.”

Four months after the Wine Country fires started to burn, thousands of residents continue to struggle to get back on their feet. Some of those most impacted are restaurant and winery workers – the very people who operate the long list of destinations that make up the Napa Valley and its critically-important food, wine and tourism industries.

The Restaurants Care program, a product of the California Restaurant Association Foundation or CRAF, continues to receive grant applications from restaurant workers in the area. As the shock of the disaster dissipates, the reality of rebuilding is sinking in.

One grant recipient, Socorro, C., lost everything in the fire. She worked as a prep cook at a campground in Santa Rosa. When the fires swept through the area, she lost her job and her home. She and her husband were bouncing from place to place when a grant from Restaurants Care helped her secure a new rental property.

“We’re not out of the woods yet,” said Executive Director of CRAF, Alycia Harshfield. “People are still sorting out the damage and trying to rebuild their lives. We’re fortunate to have partners like Waterbar who understand that there is still a need in the community. This fundraiser will help us sustain our relief efforts in the North Bay.”

Restaurants Care is accepting grant applications at www.calrestfoundation.org/fires.