TELL YOUR STORY
Help us celebrate you — the amazing community of Giving Kitchen supporters who share our commitment to providing emergency assistance to food service workers with compassion and care.
Read stories from supporters just like you!
Laura: A Purposeful Community Does Great Things
When a friend tells you something matters to them, you want to know more. That is how I discovered Giving Kitchen. Someone telling me about his friend and how a personal tragedy was leading to something truly revolutionary for the food industry. I waited tables and...
Laura: A Purposeful Community Does Great Things
When a friend tells you something matters to them, you want to know more. That is how I discovered Giving Kitchen. Someone telling me about his friend and how a personal tragedy was leading to something truly revolutionary for the food industry. I waited tables and bartended in my early days. I have so many important moments made great by experiences created by those in the food industry. I know everyone deserves help when they need it. For all these reasons, Giving Kitchen resonated with me personally and I wanted to be a part of making this Giving Kitchen a reality across the U.S. I hope Giving Kitchen becomes a brand everyone knows and respects. I hope they continue to fill the gap when something happens and someone needs help to get back on their feet for whatever reason. I hope thye create the national blueprint for how to connect people to the great local resources ready to help.
Wendy: From personal to passionate!
I first became involved in the Giving Kitchen because of a personal connection to Ryan and Jen Hidinger. My connection grew as I saw the real impact TGK has on people's lives - from support for a close friend who lost her husband and couldn't pay her mortgage, to a...
Wendy: From personal to passionate!
I first became involved in the Giving Kitchen because of a personal connection to Ryan and Jen Hidinger. My connection grew as I saw the real impact TGK has on people’s lives – from support for a close friend who lost her husband and couldn’t pay her mortgage, to a server I encountered at a local restaurant who received assistance when her workplace shutdown from a fire, to the many people I met at events who shared their amazing stories. As a former food service worker, and current lover of all things food and beverage, my passion for the Giving Kitchen continues to grow. I’m excited to see TGK expand beyond Atlanta and Georgia and create a safe space for food service workers to get help in times of need.
David: The Best Memories
Muss and Turner was a favorite for Julie and I from their early days. We always loved the food and the people working there and we participated in some of the early crowdfunding in the "Prelude to Staplehouse" days so knew about Ryan and Jen's story and were very...
David: The Best Memories
Muss and Turner was a favorite for Julie and I from their early days. We always loved the food and the people working there and we participated in some of the early crowdfunding in the “Prelude to Staplehouse” days so knew about Ryan and Jen’s story and were very aware of it when Ryan got sick because Julie was also battling cancer at the time. Years later as I read all the amazing things Jen had done with TGK and thought about the parallels and how the loss of Ryan and Julie affected so many people, I came to realize that so many of our celebrations, our outings with close friends, even quiet evenings together took place at great restaurants in Atlanta and only happened because of the folks working at those restaurants. Their hard work and personal service are a part of many of my happiest memories. My support of TGK is my way of saying thanks.