Tankersley, Fort Smith tourism officials creating worker relief fund

Discussions on the economy have dominated gatherings, social media and public discussions for months, maybe years. There is frequent discussion on social media forums about the cost of gas, groceries and rent. People worry.

Approximately 32% of restaurant workers in the U.S. experience food insecurity according to the Food Chain Workers Alliance (FWCA). Considering there are nearly 28 million U.S. workers in the food system industry, that adds up to a lot of people.

In 2022, frontline food workers were 93% more likely to be food insecure than workers in other industries, according to the FCWA. Times of emergency can hit especially hard for those in an industry commonly known to pay low wages.

But people in the Fort Smith metro area are working to help during those stressful times of uncertainty.

The Fort Smith Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) is working to set up a disaster relief fund supporting restaurant workers and their families during times of emergency, said Olan James, CVB experience manager.

As the CVB was preparing for the Fort Smith Dine Local Week in February, Tankersley Foodservice took steps to help with a $5,000 donation to the disaster relief fund, according to a CVB social media post.

“For over 80 years, this Fort Smith family-owned company has embodied their motto ‘Whatever it Takes’ — and this donation perfectly demonstrates their commitment to the restaurant community they serve,” the Facebook post stated. “From their humble beginnings in 1944 with White Dairy Ice Cream to becoming the largest family-owned foodservice company in Arkansas and Oklahoma, Tankersley has never forgotten the people who make our hospitality industry thrive.”

James said Discover Fort Smith (CVB) is applying at the state level to establish a nonprofit that will manage the relief fund.

“This fund will provide direct assistance to hospitality workers from here in the River Valley,” James said. “The goal is to begin the application process this fall so that we can hopefully award our first recipients in time for the holiday season.”

Updates will be posted to the newly formed Facebook page for Fort Smith Dine Local, James said.

According to the Arkansas Hospitality Association, service sector workers constitute the second largest employee demographic in Arkansas. There were an estimated 9,400 workers in the Fort Smith hospitality sector — which includes food service and hotel workers — in December, up from 8,900 in December 2024. The sector set an employment record of 9,800 in June 2025.

“Discover Fort Smith recognizes the important role these frontline workers play in our industry, and this fund will be a small token of appreciation for those workers should the need arise,” James said.