I’ve written many times about the good efforts of Giving Kitchen, an amazing charitable organization that offers both financial support and connections to important community resources to hospitality workers in times of crisis. These grants can come in the form of rent assistance or contributing to hospital expenses.
Giving Kitchen was formed as an outgrowth of a financial-assistance fundraising effort for beloved Atlanta chef Ryan Hidinger, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2012. With an initial goal of $25,000, the effort raised more than a quarter-million dollars in the first few months, and Hidinger and his friends decided to use that as a launchpad for a larger effort to help restaurant workers in any private restaurant in Atlanta. Although Hidinger passed away in 2014, his legacy lives on with Giving Kitchen, which now offers financial assistance to any restaurant, catering or food-truck employee, concessionaire or cafeteria worker in the entire state of Georgia. They help out with direct rent payments to landlords or mortgage holders and payment of utilities for hospitality workers who are just trying to get out of a tight spot of crisis.
Also important is Giving Kitchen's Stability Network, which teaches how to connect restaurant workers to resources in their communities like food assistance, health care and psychological counseling. Their efforts are funded by restaurants, chefs and owners through fundraisers and events as well as by major sponsorships from distributors and suppliers to the hospitality industry.
Giving Kitchen is now looking to Nashville as its next target for support, in part because they realize how cooperative and collaborative the culinary community is here. They want to make it clear that program work will remain in Atlanta, but they do plan to hire a field staff team here in Nashville to help serve this community. They have considered the concept of a franchise system, but instead they decided to focus on what they do best, providing valuable services to those in need, and they’re ready to begin helping those in need here in Nashville.
Giving Kitchen has already started out with a nice little pot of startup money, but the group is in this for the long haul and will be seeking ongoing financial support so that the organization can continue to serve clients effectively for as long as it's needed. If you’re interested in supporting the group's efforts, you can find out more about their mission and how to help out here. Even more importantly, Naomi Green, Director of Partnerships + Development, recently announced: “If you know a food service worker in crisis from an accident, illness, injury, housing disaster or someone who has expenses related to the death of an immediate family member, Giving Kitchen can help! Now. Today.”
These are really tough times for a lot of people in the restaurant industry, and many of them could use financial assistance and help for their well being. If you are or know someone in the straits that Green describes, learn more about asking for help here.
