Upstate Giving, June 29, 2020

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Greenville farm-to-table venue Fork and Plough donated $3,200 to help minority entrepreneurs as the restaurant reached its two-year anniversary.

The donation will go toward business development services, mentorship, technical assistance, and corporate relationship-building programs for local minority-owned business via the Greenville Chamber’s Minority Business Accelerator initiative.

“As a small business, we understand the importance of investing where it matters,” Shawn Kelly, chef and owner Fork and Plough, said in a news release. “Our team wants to advocate for diverse businesses and dining experiences in the Upstate and that starts with financial support. We collectively wanted to do something to move the needle, and that’s why we were proud to partner with the Greenville Chamber and the MBA program.”

The minority business accelerator is one of six chamber-powered initiatives across the country, according to the release.

“The restaurant industry has been hit especially hard during this pandemic, so for Shawn and the Fork and Plough team to make a donation to the MBA program at this time shows their unwavering dedication to seeing our entire community prosper,” Carlos Phillips, CEO and president of the Greenville Chamber, said in the release, “It is actions such as this that make Greenville’s small business community so unique and special.”