Launches $100,000 fund to help consumers and small businesses cover the cost of repairs, in partnership with Brooklyn Decker

Yelp is declaring August 26 “Make It Happen Day” in Texas, in response to the challenging year small businesses and residents endured due to the ongoing impacts of COVID-19, Winter Storm Uri, and severe weather. A $100,000 Make It Happen Day Fund has been established to help small businesses and consumers across Texas make much-needed repairs. The fund will go towards covering the cost of improvement projects for select small businesses across Texas, including community-serving nonprofit Comfort Cafe in San Antonio, as well as eligible Texas residents in need of home updates or repairs.

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Yelp is declaring August 26 “Make It Happen Day” in Texas, launching a $100,000 fund to help consumers and small businesses cover the cost of repairs. (Graphic: Business Wire)

To help spread the word and get funds to those in need of updates to their spaces, Yelp has partnered with Texas resident Brooklyn Decker — actor on Netflix's “Grace and Frankie” and self-described home decor fanatic.

“To give back to Texans across the state, I’ve partnered with Yelp to launch a $100,000 Make It Happen Day fund. We had a tough year and spent more time in our homes than ever before. I'm glad we can bring some much-needed good news to those looking to make necessary repairs and updates. I can't wait to see all the great projects Texans will spearhead to spruce up their homes and small businesses,” says Brooklyn Decker.

Millions of users come to Yelp each month to find highly-rated, trusted home professionals for everything from small home repairs and landscapers, to contractors and roofers for larger projects. With many small businesses and Texans still grappling with the devastating impacts of COVID-19 and Winter Storm Uri, Yelp introduced the new Make it Happen Day fund to encourage and help the community make repairs and updates that might currently be out of reach.

As a part of Make It Happen Day, 50 Texans will have a chance to win $1,000 toward their project with one of the many trusted home services professionals on Yelp. Eligible Texans can enter for a chance to win by using Yelp’s Request a Quote feature to find a home services professional in their area, and submitting the quote at MakeItHappenDay.Yelp.com on August 26, 2021. *The Official Rules are available at MakeItHappenDay.Yelp.com/Rules.

As many beloved pillars of the community experienced further challenging circumstances, with recent flooding, fires and damages to their facilities, Yelp will also donate $10,000 to help five local businesses across the state make much-needed repairs and updates to their establishments. In addition to San Antonio's Comfort Cafe, recipients include Austin Pets Alive!, Austin's House Park Bar-B-Que, Dallas’s Casita Tex Mex and Houston’s The Big Easy.

After a severe storm, Comfort Cafe in San Antonio was damaged by a devastating flood, causing the eatery — which benefits addiction recovery programs and was named the #1 Place to Eat in Texas and #1 brunch spot in the U.S. by Yelp earlier this year — to shutter until the restaurant could rebuild.

Austin Pets Alive! rescued over 1,040 dogs and cats from all over Texas during the historic winter storms. The animal shelter relies on highly-rated service professionals, like Elite Heating and Air Conditioning, which has assisted them with repairs for several years now, and will continue to support the shelter in their facility upkeep.

Much like San Antonio’s beloved Comfort Cafe, House Park Bar-B-Que, the oldest barbecue spot in Austin, was damaged by circumstances out of their control. After extensive fire damage, the BBQ joint remained closed since December 2020 while trying to raise enough money and rebuild.

Beloved local favorite, Casita Tex Mex in Dallas, was damaged by an electrical fire in December 2020, and has yet to reopen due to the updates still needed to their building.

The Big Easy, an iconic Houston blues club that narrowly survived the pandemic with the help of their fans after an 18 month closure, will use the funds to make repairs to their stage, the raised area next to the stage, the bar area, floors and walk-in cooler.

“After seeing all of the damage from Winter Storm Uri and recent storms and flooding, and other unforeseen events with lasting impacts, we also saw how strongly the community came together to support one another. As a company that connects people with great local service professionals, we are thrilled to be able to lend a helping hand to fellow Texans so they can make necessary repairs to their homes and the beloved independent businesses that are central to the community,” says Jonathan Truong, Texas regional manager at Yelp.

About Yelp

Yelp Inc. (www.yelp.com) connects people with great local businesses. With unmatched local business information, photos, and review content, Yelp provides a one-stop local platform for consumers to discover, connect, and transact with local businesses of all sizes by making it easy to request a quote, join a waitlist, and make a reservation, appointment, or purchase. Yelp was founded in San Francisco in July 2004.

*Fifty (50) winners will receive a $1,000 American Express gift card to be used towards a home project. The giveaway is limited to the following categories: Handyman, landscapers, roofers, plumbing, painting, electrician, flooring or HVAC. See the Official Rules available at MakeItHappenDay.Yelp.com/Rules.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210823005080/en/