Three Food Service Workers we Helped in 2022

When you give to Giving Kitchen, you are building a food service community that meets crisis with compassion and care. But what exactly does that look like?

• It looks like your neighbors, friends, and family feeling comfortable asking for help when they get sick.
• It means an eviction notice doesn’t come in the mail because a line cook missed work to care for her dying father.
• It means a child doesn’t go hungry because their parent was out of work with a broken leg, and they had to choose between rent and groceries.

It means that YOU can fall back on the support of your community when life throws you a curveball.

Below, read the stories of three food service workers — real people, with real crises — who were faced with an illness and got financial assistance from GK. Thanks to the generosity of people like you, these food service workers got the financial support they needed so they could focus on what really matters: getting well.

Alison grew up working in the kitchen at her mom’s meat-and-three. She now works as a line cook at an esteemed restaurant in Nashville, TN. She started to feel sick and began having seizures, which were caused by fungal meningitis. She underwent brain surgery and embarked on the long road to recovery. Her employer referred her to Giving Kitchen, where she qualified for several months of financial assistance to pay her mortgage and utility bills.

“This really helped my mom and kids. It made things a lot easier for her to be able to help me. My kids were starting school so this helped them to be able to start school in new shoes and clothes.”

Financial assistance from Giving Kitchen eased the burden on Alison’s family by making sure the bills were paid for several months so she could focus on getting better, and her kids didn’t have to go without.

Chef Shawn has been running his own catering business for a while now, with plans to open a food truck soon. When he contracted COVID-19 and developed health complications, he didn’t know how he was going to pay his bills. Fortunately, a fellow chef referred him to Giving Kitchen, where he received financial assistance to help his family pay their living expenses while he recovered.

“[GK] took the weight off my back. They paid 2 months of my rent and my light bill. I would have been in the dark because I was on my final notice with my light bill.”

Now Shawn can focus on his recovery and pick back up where he left off serving delicious food to his North Carolina community!

Jodi has worked in the cafeteria for her local school district for 9 years. Her husband, Frank, was diagnosed with stage 4 throat cancer over the summer. After a total laryngectomy, chemotherapy, and radiology, Frank was away from work for at least six months, and Jodi was missing work to care for her husband. They were overwhelmed — emotionallyandfinancially.

A social worker at Frank’s treatment center told Jodi about Giving Kitchen, so she applied for assistance and received financial support to cover mortgage and utility payments.

“It is difficult to reach out for help. It can be humbling and humiliating, but I never had any negative feelings from [GK], only the willingness to help. I can’t tell you how grateful and thankful we are.”

When you donate to Giving Kitchen, you are ensuring that we are here to help food service workers in the weeks, months, and years to come.

In the face of low wages, long hours, no health insurance, and no paid time off, please consider donating so workers like Alison, Shawn, and Jodi know that you have their backs.