Jersey Shore brothers, bartenders walking across country for restaurant industry

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Two Jersey Shore brothers and bartenders who were impacted by the pandemic decided to take action to raise money for fellow restaurant workers.

Right now, they're walking across America on a journey to help their industry, and they're about halfway there.

Aiden and Louis Ardine left Asbury Park on May 1.

They spoke to us from Omaha, Nebraska: 1,200 miles into their 3,000-mile journey.

With each step, each state, the brothers are helping restaurant workers struggling to stay afloat.

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"It's been an extremely difficult year and a half, and you don't know the obstacles people have faced and the challenges they're still dealing with," Aiden says. "We realized that we could walk across America and sort of pursue this challenge for ourselves, learning about America and helping people in the service industry. It was super important for us."

At every step of the journey, they're meeting the people they're helping and hearing their stories of strength and resilience.

That includes a stop right here in Philadelphia.

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"We are feeling great," Louis says. "Every day we feel a little bit stronger. And honestly, the amount of support that we get is so tremendous and unbelievable. Some people bring us water, some people just give us food, some people let us stay in their yards or even stay in their houses."

So far, they've met their goal of $30,000, and they're nearly halfway to the Redwood National Forest in California.

They've walked through extreme heat, storms, tornado warnings and even faced off against some rambunctious raccoons in Ohio.