'Some of these people haven't had days off': These SouthCoast restaurants got $5K grants

NEW BEDFORD — Only a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic shuttered restaurants in March 2020, Deanna DiCorpo and her business partners opened 19 Prime Tapas. Since the pandemic, it's been a struggle to survive for the 10-seat Fall River restaurant that opened in December 2019, she said.

But now, 19 Prime Tapas is among a handful of women-owned SouthCoast restaurants to receive a $5,000 grant from the Massachusetts Conference for Women, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing women in the workplace.

"I'm very thankful," said DiCorpo. "We're a really small business. It helped with rent, paying my chef. Everything basically."

This year, the organization awarded a total of $400,000 in $5,000 grants to 80 women-owned restaurants in the state.

"It went a long way. It was definitely a big help," DiCorpo added.

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In the SouthCoast, the grant was also awarded to Spicy Lime Thai Cuisine, Taqueria La Raza and Tropical Smoothie Cafe in New Bedford, Country Whip Inc. in Acushnet and Savor the Moment cafe in Fall River.

"I am so honored to be selected for this grant program," wrote Karyn Ferreira, owner of Tropical Smoothie Cafe in a Facebook post. "Thank you to all our loyal customers and staff members that have helped me stay strong through the pandemic. I am truly honored!"

"I am overwhelmed with joy to have received the grant. It will go towards employee wages and food cost," said Sherri Rego, owner of Savor the Moment cafe. "Last year, I had to take out a loan to continue to be open so this will help tremendously."

"Being awarded the grant was a huge help as our overhead continues to increase rapidly since COVID-19," said Amanda McQuillan, owner of Country Whip.

"From cost of goods to wages, and everything in between, it all keeps increasing at a rapid pace which makes it harder for small business to stay profitable," she added about the family-owned restaurant and ice cream parlor.

"The grant was immediately used to help towards our lease expenses while we are closed over the winter months," she added.

Support for women-owned businesses

"We are incredibly humbled and proud to be able to give back to women," said Laurie Dalton-White, national director of Conferences for Women.

Dalton-White said the organization's mission is about women helping women.

"We were trying to find people that may not have access to capital, that are really going to use this for paying their staffs and keeping the lights on," she added.

Dalton-White said her team gave preference to restaurants that didn't get a previous grant or were not able to access federal funding.

As of 2021, 40% of U.S. businesses are women-owned.

According to a USAToday article, women and BIPOC (Black, indigenous or person of color) businesses are less likely to have the same access to capital as white men. A House committee report found the Paycheck Protection Program left behind many minority- and women-owned businesses because banks prioritized lending to customers.

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Female entrepreneurs ask for roughly $35,000 less in business financing than men, according to a Fundera report.

Overall, men receive an average loan size of $43,916 while women receive an average loan size of $38,942..

In 2020, when Conferences for Women pivoted to a virtual format, the organization still wanted to figure out ways to support businesses.

"I'm so proud that this is something that brings people together and doesn't divide us," she said. "That's something that I'm really proud about the conference. We're not political. We just try to support people and help each other, and meet people where they are."

After reaching out to the head of the Restaurant Association, the organization had a call for entry and distributed $330,000 worth of grants to 60 women-owned restaurants to help pay rent, employees, adapt their business model or meet other restaurant needs.

In 2021, Dalton-White said they received 500 applications.

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"Some of these people haven't had days off," Dalton-White said. "It's one step forward and two steps back, and just to be seen and heard and recognized, and feel part of a community goes a long way.

"While I hope we've peaked on this omicron (COVID variant), things are not happening as fast as I think any of us would like," added Dalton-White.

Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at schitwood@s-t.com. Follow him on twitter: @ChitwoodReports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Fall River, New Bedford restaurants awarded grants by Conference Women