GoFundMe page created for Foxtrot employees at Chicago’s Southport location

CHICAGO — A GoFundMe page was created to help the employees of the recently closed Foxtrot Southport location to help navigate their sudden job loss.

Dom’s Kitchen & Market and Foxtrot Market locations suddenly closed in Chicago and across the country, just a few months after the grocery retailers merged .

The GoFundMe page was created by an everyday customer who frequently visited the Southport location for her daily coffee fix.

Rebecca Shields said in the page that the employees were people that she was able to get to know and appreciate.

“The staff were a joy to see on a daily basis as I learned their names and where they were from. Some of them came from other Foxtrot locations, and some of them moved on to run their own stores. I learned about their hobbies, tastes in music, families, chosen families, and goals for the future,” Shields said in the post.

The closure affects two Dom’s stores and 33 Foxtrots across the Chicago, Austin, Dallas and DC areas.

Dom’s and Foxtrot posted this statement to their website after announcing the closings:

“We want to express our sincerest gratitude for your support and patronage throughout the years. It has been our highest honor to elevate the everyday and create a remarkable shopping experience for people who love food as much as we do.  It has been a privilege serving you and being a part of your everyday lives.”

Sheilds said on the page that she received permission from employees and store manager to organize the GoFundMe on their behalf. Proceeds will go to the store manager who will then distribute it to the staff.

“These are the people that make a neighborhood meeting spot worth going back to again and again,” Shields said.

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