Christy's Family Got Help After An Accident
Christy Nash has a full house. She lives with her husband and their two children, along with two lifelong friends (“like brothers”) and the daughter of a close friend who needed some help. The more you talk to Christy, the more you see she’s the type of friend who would take in your child in a time of need. Christy has worked in hospitality for nearly 25 years, saying that she’s, “always enjoyed working for places where people go to have a good time. It makes me happy to be a part of somebody else’s experience.”
Aside from a passion for food and beverage, Christy also has a degree in biochemistry. She worked in her field of study for a few years while working a side job as a bartender. She found lab work to be solitary and chose to go back to working full-time in the service industry where she could be surrounded by people. She’s been the Bar Supervisor at a dine-in movie theater for several years now and loves her job. When describing herself, Christy says, “I’m a workaholic, and I’m always at work. If they ever need an extra hand, I’m the one that volunteers to go in.”
All of the adults in Christy’s house work in hospitality, but she’s the breadwinner. Which is why it was all the more devastating when she was hit by a drunk driver on the way home from work in July of 2019. The other driver came into her lane and struck her vehicle, breaking the orbital bone in her face and injuring her left knee and arm. Suddenly, and through no fault of her own, she was hurt and unable to work.
Christy needed to recover for three months, so during that time, she opted to place liquor orders and manage inventory from home - without pay - because she felt it was important for the success of the business. It also gave her a sense of purpose. Her coworkers sent photos and screenshots of inventory, and she kept track of big movie releases and other special events in the theater so she could place orders with her seven liquor reps. Christy doesn’t just go to work for a paycheck - she goes to work because she cares about what she does and about the relationships she’s built.
Without a paycheck, Christy was in a tough situation. Rent, water, gas and electric bills weren’t going to wait, and Christy usually paid the majority of her household’s expenses. As is the case with so many food service workers, there weren't cash reserves lying around.
Christy told one of her liquor reps about her situation, who in turn told her about Giving Kitchen. She contacted GK and filled out an application for assistance. “It was a piece of cake. I just had to get my bills together and get them to my caseworker… it felt like the checks were in my hands within minutes and my bills were paid… I didn’t want somebody to just hand me cash. Giving Kitchen paid the bills directly to my utilities and my landlord, and it just took so much of that pressure off of me.” Without that assistance, her entire household would have been forced to move. “We would have had to find another place to live, and that’s impossible because you have to have more money when you need to move because you have to have a deposit, and I don’t know what we would’ve done.”
Christy received two months of financial assistance from Giving Kitchen, which relieved some of her stress so she could focus on her recovery. Not only was she recovering from physical injuries, but she also had to overcome a lot of fear. She was “petrified to drive for awhile,” especially at night. As she puts it, “I was doing everything right. And this person came into my ‘driving-safely zone’… I’ve never had anybody take away my ability to drive defensively like that, where there was nothing I could do to avoid it.” She felt unstable - physically, emotionally, financially - but she said, “Giving Kitchen gives stability during unstable times.”
Now Christy is driving again and has recovered physically. “Other than the pain in my face - and still some problems with my knee and a lot of scarring - I’m fine. I’ve made a full recovery.” She was able to return to work. “I went right back in seamlessly to my job, and I love my job… I’m thankful for them for holding my position for me.”
Christy wears her blue and orange Giving Kitchen bracelet everywhere she goes, hoping people will ask about it - and they do! She knows that if it hadn’t been for that casual conversation with her liquor rep, she may have never heard of Giving Kitchen and “would be in a very different situation.”
Christy wore her GK bracelet so much that it finally broke, but she immediately reached out to ask for another. “I want everyone to know what you guys do!,” she wrote. She has become a branch in Giving Kitchen’s tree, sprouting off more branches with each person to whom she tells her story so Giving Kitchen can give stability to those who need it.
Giving Kitchen was there for Christy when she needed us most, and GK will be here for other food service workers like her in the future. Support them by giving to Giving Kitchen today.