Press Room
About Giving Kitchen | How It Started | Impact Reporting | Press Releases
Awards + Accolades | Media Mentions | Downloads | Social Media | Videos
About Giving Kitchen
Giving Kitchen is a nonprofit that helps food service workers in crisis. GK provides stability through referrals to a network of low or no-cost community resources. Food service workers who have experienced an injury, illness, housing disaster, or death of a family member can also receive financial assistance to cover living expenses. Learn more on our What We Do page. Check out our boilerplate on our Brand Support page.
What is Giving Kitchen?
Since its inception in 2013, Giving Kitchen has served over 19,000 food service workers and awarded over $11.3 million to food service workers in crisis.
In 2023, Giving Kitchen served 5,296 food service workers and awarded over $3.56 million to food service workers in crisis.
How It Started
How the fight for one life became an opportunity to serve thousands.
Giving Kitchen grew out of a response to the devastating, stage-four cancer diagnosis of Chef Ryan Hidinger in December 2012. Ryan was well-known in the Atlanta restaurant community, and he and his wife, Jen, were beloved for their supper club called Prelude to Staplehouse, which they hosted for several years as a precursor to opening their dream restaurant.
The response to Ryan’s diagnosis - initially from friends within the restaurant industry, and then quickly from an ever-expanding community across Atlanta - was truly heroic: an outpouring of love and financial support to help with his expenses not covered by insurance.
The community’s overwhelming response to the Hidingers' crisis set the intent, beliefs, and values for Giving Kitchen, which was officially founded in 2013.
Read more about Ryan Hidinger and Giving Kitchen’s origins here.
Chef Ryan Hidinger at a Prelude to Staplehouse event, 2012
Who We Are
Chefs at Charlotte Family Meal 2023 with GK Founder Jen Hidinger-Kendrick and Sr. Director of Field Operations Leah Melnick
We are a food service community meeting crisis with compassion and care.
Our team consists of some of the hardest-working food-lovers you’re likely to encounter. Meet our staff and board of directors.
Impact Reporting
Press Releases
8 Chefs. 8 Courses. 1 Amazing Night for Giving Kitchen in Charlotte, NC (May 7, 2024)
Second Annual Tennessee Tasting 2024 Created Local Impact (May 7, 2024)
Team Hidi 2024 Was a Home Run (March 19, 2024)
Offering Free Medical Appointments in Cabarrus County, North Carolina (January 18, 2024)
Dine Nashville Restaurants Support Giving Kitchen in February 2024 (January 10, 2024)
Partnering with A Step Ahead to Provide Free Birth Control (January 8, 2024)
Giving Kitchen Record-Breaking Impact in Quarter 3 (October 16, 2023)
Dine With Gratitude and Raise Critical Funds for the Food Service Industry (September 25, 2023)
Giving Kitchen Celebrates 10 Years of Exponential Growth (July 7, 2023)
Giving Kitchen Experienced Record Breaking Growth and Impact in 2022 (February 7, 2023)
Giving Kitchen Named in Fast Company’s Second Annual List of “Brands That Matter” (October 31, 2022)
Everyone is talking about suicide prevention in September. Giving Kitchen is doing something about it. (August 31, 2022)
Giving Kitchen awards $6.5 million to 10,000+ food service workers (August 2, 2022)
Giving Kitchen Partners With Unite Us To Expand Stability Network (April 13, 2022)
Giving Kitchen to Host Pop-Up Doc on April 11, 2022, in Peachtree City, GA (April 2022)
Giving Kitchen’s Stability Network Makes Mental Health a Priority for Food Service Workers (September 2021)
Giving Kitchen Announces Three New Board Members (April 2021)
Giving Kitchen Hosts Pop-Up Doc on April 19 (April 2021)
Georgia Nonprofit Organization Responds to Record High Requests for Help, Announces Series of Virtual Fundraising Events (Feb. 25, 2021)
Giving Kitchen Announces Substance Abuse Recovery Initiatives for Food Service Workers (Dec. 8, 2020)
For media inquiries, please contact Rebecca Wagner, Sr. Director of Marketing + Communications, at rebecca@thegivingkitchen.org.
For general inquiries, please email info@thegivingkitchen.org.
Awards + Accolades
Fast Company Brands That Matter 2022: Established Excellence: 5-14 Years In Business
James Beard Foundation: Humanitarian of the Year, 2019
Center for Civic Innovation: Civic Impact Award, 2019
Georgia Restaurant Association: Industry Partner of the Year, 2015
Charity Navigator: Encompass Rating - 100 Out Of 100
Our Stories
Giving Kitchen’s story started with Ryan Hidinger and the fight to save one life. Now our story is the fight to serve thousands.
We aim to share our most meaningul stories with the help of a team of writers, photographers, volunteers, and GK clients. Together, we are Giving Kitchen and we help food service workers.
Media Mentions: GK In The News
Nashville Scene: Giving Kitchen’s Tennessee Tasting Returns (March 27, 2024)
Axios: Charlotte's top chefs are collaborating on an eight-course meal for a good cause (March 27, 2024)
WSB-TV Atlanta: New Georgia mental health awareness program serving up education, resources in restaurants and bars (January 31, 2024)
11Alive Atlanta: Food service workers in crisis receive assistance thanks to Atlanta nonprofit (December 19, 2023)
Tales of the Cocktail Foundation Announces 2023 Grand Recipients (October 5, 2023)
Giving Kitchen Looks to Raise Funds for the Foodservice Industry (September 26, 2023)
Raising Funds, Helping Each Other (August 16, 2023)
The Food & Wine Pro Guide to Mental Health and Sobriety Resources (August 15, 2023)
What to Expect from Giving Kitchen's Inaugural Tennessee Tasting (April 13, 2023)
Fast Company: These 3 brands have been around for more than 5 years—this is why they’ve thrived (October 25, 2022)
Back Of House: How This Nonprofit Is Helping Food Service Workers In Times Of Crisis (October 17, 2022)
Nashville Scene: Dine Out for Good Causes in October (October 10, 2022)
Dana Delivers: Giving Back to Food Service Workers in Need (August 28, 2022)
Unite Us: How Giving Kitchen is Helping Food Service Workers Thrive (August 15, 2022)
The Bitter Southerner: The Kitchen That Keeps On Giving (May 10, 2022)
Nashville Lifestyles: 3 Food-Centric Non-Profits to Support (November 30, 2021)
Wicked Tasty Podcast: The Giving Kitchen — Bryan Schroeder (November 24, 2021)
Salt Your Pasta Water Podcast: Naomi Green (October 20, 2021)
WTVM News: Giving Kitchen gives new life to local community (July 29, 2021)
Atlanta Magazine: 60 Voices on the City’s Past, Present, and Future (May 2021)
Eater Atlanta: Giving Kitchen hosts medical clinic offering COVID-19 vaccines for restaurant workers (April 9, 2021)
Tennessean: Group supporting restaurant workers expands across the South (April 1, 2021)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Giving Kitchen supports food service workers through pandemic (March 3, 2021)
Commercial Construction & Renovation: Giving Kitchen gets record high requests for help (February 26, 2021)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia nonprofits feed needy, assist food workers in pandemic (January 19, 2021)
Restaurant Hospitality: Georgia non-profit Giving Kitchen helps foodservice workers financially while they recover from substance abuse (January 15, 2021)
Fast Casual: Andrew Zimmern’s supporting substance-abuse recovery for restaurant workers (January 14, 2021)
Dish Around Town: Giving Kitchen announces substance abuse recovery initiatives for food service workers (December 8, 2020)
FSR Magazine: Giving Kitchen to include substance abuse recovery initiative for industry workers (December 8, 2020)
Downloads
Follow Us On Social Media
Giving Kitchen Videos
What To Expect at Giving Kitchen
Mind Matters Highlight Reel
Pop-Up Doc: GK’s Health Fair
Thank You, 2024 Annual Corporate Partners!
