Over the weekend, the local nonprofit announced the creation of its Texas winter storm relief fund that will benefit restaurant workers statewide. Hospitality workers in need of emergency cash assistance - for example, to repair a home damaged by burst pipes - may apply via the organization's website. Since the start of the pandemic, Southern Smoke has issued over $5 million in grants nationwide.
The organization's winter storm relief efforts got a boost via a $400,000 contribution from energy trader Adam Sinn, who's donating the windfall profits he realized from several micro power plants he owns. In a release, Sinn explains that he thinks ERCOT should have ended its emergency pricing order at noon on Feb. 18 instead of 9 a.m. on Feb. 19; therefore, he's donating the money he earned during that time period to Southern Smoke.
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