Giving Kitchen Experienced Record Breaking Growth and Impact in 2022
[ATLANTA, Ga.] 2022 was a year of big growth and impact for Giving Kitchen (GK), a nonprofit organization that provides emergency assistance to food service workers through financial support and a network of community resources. Of the 11,477 food service workers Giving Kitchen has helped since its 2013 inception, 25% were served in 2022. Giving Kitchen awarded 1,632 food service workers over $2.1M in financial support and 4,262 community resource referrals in 2022.
“Every 90 minutes in 2022, a food service worker asked for help from Giving Kitchen, and our team met their crisis with compassion and care.” said Jen Hidinger-Kendrick, Giving Kitchen Co-Founder and Senior Director of Community Engagement. “We help food service workers overcome adversity and, like my late husband, Ryan, it is their courage and perseverance that magnify our impact.”
Giving Kitchen’s growth sped up significantly in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit Georgia and thousands of food service workers lost their jobs and needed referrals to community resources such as food banks, free clinics, and homeless shelters. It was a monumental year in so many ways, yet GK provided over 200% more financial aid in 2022 than in 2020, proving that the need to help food service workers continues to grow. The importance of GK was recognized nationally as Fast Company named Giving Kitchen to its impressive list of 2022 Brands That Matter.
“From start to finish, we’re getting critical funds out the door to food service workers in less than 15 days on average, with many food service workers receiving support within 24 hours of asking for help in order to
prevent eviction,” said GK Executive Director, Bryan Schroeder. “In 2022, GK prevented almost 500 children of food service workers from facing eviction. In 2023, our goal is to double that number. It’s never been a more urgent time to rally behind food service workers in crisis.”
GK’s James Beard Humanitarian of the Year Award in 2019 — paired with rampant word-of-mouth in 2020 —
accelerated industry-wide awareness of GK, prompting the organization to move up its expansion timeline.
In 2021, Giving Kitchen made the first hire outside of Georgia to represent GK in Tennessee. In 2022, GK grew the regional team by hiring a Partnerships + Outreach Manager in Charlotte, NC, to further their impact across the greater Southeast. Giving Kitchen is continuing their 2023 growth throughout the Southeast with a celebration in Charlotte, NC. The celebration of Giving Kitchen continues as they host their well-known signature tasting event Team Hidi, on March 12, in Atlanta, GA. Team Hidi is Giving Kitchen’s largest fundraising event and is 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. Team Hidi’s meaningful history and ability to raise crucial funds, allows GK to support their mission to support food service workers in crisis. With every ask for help submitted, with every client served, every dollar given, or resource referred, Giving Kitchen’s goal is to be a part of every food service community in the United States.
Giving Kitchen Media Contact
Rebecca Wagner, Sr. Director of Marketing and Communications rebecca@thegivingkitchen.org