(WXYZ) – “God bless you,” Julie said, barely distinguishing the words of a call recorded on Facetime with Dave Portnoy of Barstool Sports.
Julie owns Salon Volume in Allen Park. During the Facetime call, he discovered that his business was selected to be part of the Bartsool Fund, a fund dedicated to helping small businesses during the pandemic.
In just 10 days, Portnoy and Barstool have raised nearly $ 17 million and helped more than 50 companies.
“These people are on their toes,” Portnoy said. “You see the wave of excitement is over when we tell them, ‘Hey, we’ll be there for you.'”
Portnoy started the fund with a $ 500,000 donation, but the rest comes from more than 130,000 donors. Each selected company will get help throughout the pandemic.
“If you get approval from our fund, let us know how much you need if it’s rent, taxes, payroll and we’ll be there until it’s over a bit,” Portnoy said.
So far more than 50 companies have been selected, including the Brighton Champs Pub. For about 40 years, the family business has served exactly the same burger with the same owner and the same mustache.
“I haven’t seen the upper lip since 1970,” joked David “Champ” Beauchamp. The mustache has become part of the pub’s logo.
Despite spending even more money on igloo to continue eating in person, the neighborhood pub had been struggling. Portnoy then called Champ and added his pub to the background.
“It’s nice to be recognized for having been in the business so long,” Beauchamp said.
“It seems almost too good to be true,” Walter Macneil said during his call with Portnoy, which was recorded and posted online.
Macneil owns Mac’s Acadian Seafood Shack in Saline, which she has been working on for more than 20 years.
“If you saw my video, I didn’t act very excited,” Macneil told 7 Action News. “I was waiting for the other shoe to fall off because I couldn’t believe it.”
Within days of the video call, a deposit was made into the restaurant’s bank account from the Barstool Fund.
“What a blessing,” Macneil said. “Amazing thing they’re doing. Amazing.”
With the donation of more money, the Barstool fund continues to grow, with plans to continue adding more companies and candid videos.
“It’s on the move,” Portnoy said of employers ’reactions. “That’s why I think we get all the donations. You can’t look at them and you don’t have a certain empathy and compassion.”
The Shelby Township Premier Sports Center also receives support from the fund.
To make a donation or apply to the fund, visit the Barstool Fund.