A woman was left with nothing in her bank after her gas and electric company withdrew it all.
Single mum Pauline was left panicking, wondering how she would get through the rest of the month after her bills suddenly increased.
Feeling sick with worry, Pauline had no idea how she would feed her young son.
The mum was given a lifeline when a friend told her about The Ben.
Pauline said: "My gas and electricity company withdrew all my money from my bank leaving me with nothing. I have been in such a panic knowing I have no funds to live for the next two weeks.
"A friend told me about BEN and how they helped helped her. I wasn’t sure how the process worked but after speaking to Chris it helped ease my nerves."
She added: "The Ben has helped me in so many ways, giving me funds to feed my little boy and get me through really tough times.
"They really help real people who are in desperate need. There should be more organisations out there that can be there for people like myself."
Now, the Be Kind to Hospitality campaign are urging industry owners to pledge support to the Benevolent Society, which has helped many workers with the increase in cost of living.
The post-lockdown initiative supports people working across the industry. The campaign was launched when Scotland came out of lockdown last year and it asked the public to be nice to staff as venues reopened.
Now, the campaign has shifted its focus to business owners within the hospitality and night-time industries by asking them to pledge £25 a month to charity The Benevolent Society.
As well as offering grants, financial aid and mental health support, The Ben aims to assist with any personal situation that is causing hardship to those working in the industry.
Steve, who was left without a job and facing homelessness, was given life changing support by The Ben.
He said: "For the past few years, Covid has been hard on most of us but for me was particularly hard, from losing my job to losing my accommodation and trying to restart with very little.
"I came across The Ben on Facebook one day and got in contact with them, I spoke to Chris (superstar) who gave me assistance in grants, helping get a deposit for a new home and helping with getting a bed and a few household items."
Anyone who has worked in the licensed hospitality trade for a year is eligible for help from The Ben, from nightclub bouncers to dish washers.
The charity does not receive public funding and relies solely on support and donations from the trade.
Chris Gardner of The Ben said: “We are asking businesses who can afford it to sign up to pledge £25 a month, to allow us to keep supporting your staff, and indeed staff across the whole industry.
“We step in when you can’t – whether someone is off long-term, or your business is struggling, or there’s a global pandemic – we are there. When you can’t help or support your staff, we are there.
“And if you yourself need help – we are there. But now we need you. So please, help us help you. Become a Friend Of The Ben... because we all need friends.”
All Radisson hotels in Scotland have signed up to be Friends Of The Ben, making them the first group to commit so far.
Others supporting the charity include Graeme Cheevers of Unalome which is Scotland’s latest Michelin starred restaurant, Peter McKenna of Glasgow institution The Gannet and celebrity chef Dean Banks of Haar, The Pompadour, Haar At Home, Lunun Gin and Mond Vodka.
Graham Chalmers of Radisson RED Glasgow, founder of #bekindtohospitality, said: “This is such an important cause and one we in the industry really need to get behind.
"We have all suffered in the last couple of years so helping offer support for those in greatest need is vital."
He added: “We appreciate how tough things have been for businesses with inflation, the staffing crisis, rising costs and so on impacting businesses and households.
"We aren’t asking everyone – we are asking those who feel they are in a position to do so."
A launch party for the campaign will be held at Radisson RED Sky Bar and will help raise funds for the charity on Sunday, June 5.
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