It’s been a busy year for Giving Kitchen (GK), the nonprofit organization that provides crisis mitigation for food service workers. Nearly 2,500 people received financial assistance over the last 14 months, for a total of more than $1.1 million in financial aid. Despite unprecedented and overwhelming demand due to the pandemic, GK has not turned away a single qualifying client. The organization is already seeing another influx of requests for help this year, with more than 65% of clients facing COVID-related hardships so far in 2021.
GK clients responded via survey to share why this financial assistance matters:
- 76% say GK prevented an eviction
- 69% say GK prevented incurring a late fee on a utility payment
- 75% say they didn’t have to skip meals to pay bills
The unrelenting distress put on the food service community over the last year is evident: GK’s January 2021’s monthly totals saw the second largest number of clients served and the second- largest amount of financial assistance awarded in GK’s young eight-year history. February’s totals are about to surpass January’s. Of the GK Stability Network clients, nearly 70% have come for help with their housing or utilities.
Giving Kitchen’s largest annual fundraising event, Team Hidi, originally scheduled for January 31, was postponed due to the pandemic. It would have been the 9th annual rendition of the sell-out event known for being an all-encompassing culinary experience, where dozens of restaurants and over a thousand supporters come together for tastings, auctions, and live music. Despite its deeply meaningful history and ability to raise crucial funds, hosting an in- person gathering of that scale simply wasn’t an option this year.