Verizon teams up with NJ brothers walking across America for restaurant workers

What you need to know:

• Verizon is supporting Aiden and Louis Ardine, two brothers from New Jersey, on their quest to walk across America to raise awareness and money for restaurant workers whose lives have been negatively impacted by the pandemic
• Backed by Verizon’s robust 4G LTE & 5G network, the Ardines will document their journey through 3,000 miles, 11 states, multiple major cities and countless small towns 
• Along the way, Verizon and the Ardines will surprise small businesses and restaurants with the Verizon Visa® Card, and host meet and greets at retail stores as part of its #ACallForKindness campaign

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. - Aiden and Louis Ardine were bartending at the Jersey Shore in Asbury Park, N.J. when COVID-19 hit. While the pandemic drove many restaurant workers to look for jobs in other industries - the Ardine brothers wanted to help. 

After getting laid off, they decided to walk across America - with the goal of raising $30,000 for organizations that assist those in need working in the service industry. Today, the brothers have teamed up with Verizon to double down on the effort with hopes of raising $60K to support small businesses and restaurants.

“When you’re walking across the country through small rural towns and big cities alike, you need a speedy and reliable network for staying connected to family and friends and for keeping up with social media, so we are pumped to work with Verizon because everyone knows they are the best,” said Aiden Ardine. “We also love that we share the same mission to support small businesses and restaurants because they need our help right now.”

Verizon, whose commitment to small businesses during the pandemic has included $10 million in financial assistance, personalized technology solutions and access to special discounts and free tech evaluations, will support the Ardines in a number of ways, including:

• Making a donation and setting up a Text-to-Donate program to make it easy for consumers to donate $10 to the COCO Fund by texting COCO to 501501

• Providing new 5G phones so the Ardines can document their journey for their social media followers (psst, you can still get a new 5G phone on Verizon through the Biggest Upgrade Ever)

• Setting up surprise and delights for customers at restaurants and small businesses along the way using the Verizon Visa® Card and taking part in Verizon’s #ACallForKindness campaign

• Hosting meet-and-greets at Verizon stores across the country

“We love what Aiden and Louis are doing for small businesses and restaurants and are delighted to team up with them to raise awareness and support their goal of raising money for restaurant workers,” said Krista Bourne, senior vice president and president of consumer sales and operations at Verizon. “Verizon has and will continue to do our part to help small businesses as they transition into a post-pandemic world.”

The Ardines are proud to announce they’ve reached their $30,000 goal while having only walked more than 900 miles so far. With more than 2,100 miles to go, the brothers are now hoping to raise $60,000. The funds go to organizations that provide assistance to restaurant workers impacted by COVID-19, and include the Restaurant Workers Community Foundation and the COCO Fund. You can donate $10 to the COCO Fund by texting COCO to 501501, donate $25 by texting SUPPORT to 501501 or by visiting their website.

You can catch the Aiden and Louis on their trek as they will be walking through Des Moines, IA (7/15), Omaha, NE (7/21), Lincoln, NE (7/24) and Denver, CO (8/11) and through Salt Lake City, UT, Reno, NV, Sacramento, CA, Oakland, CA and San Francisco, CA later this summer. To follow the Ardine brothers on their journey and learn more about their cause, follow @ardinesxamerica on Instagram and visit their website.