A $177,500 donation by the Texas Conference for Women to women-owned restaurants aims to help businesses hurt by the pandemic’s economic effects.

The organization created the initiative with the Texas Restaurant Association to give 71 women-owned restaurants from across Texas $2,500 each to defray costs and help pay employees, the Texas Restaurant Association reported. The funds were given to the association’s Texas Restaurant Relief Fund, which handed out the grants.

“This year, women business owners are facing unprecedented challenges, and we truly wanted to give back and to show the power that comes from women helping women,” Carla Piñeyro Sublett, Texas Conference for Women board president, told the Texas Restaurant Association.

The nonpartisan, nonprofit Texas Conference for Women held its 21st annual conference virtually on Oct. 1 because of the pandemic. 

Women shoulder a disproportionate share of COVID-19’s impact, the association reported. More than 700,000 Texas restaurant jobs have been lost due to the pandemic.