Giving Kitchen - Dining With Gratitude

This October, restaurants across the United States are joining forces for Giving Kitchen's 2024 Dining With Gratitude campaign, a month-long initiative dedicated to raising critical funds and awareness for food service workers in crisis. This campaign honors and celebrates those who serve us daily — from our favorite coffee shops and dining spots to school cafeterias and sporting arenas. 

Dining With Gratitude is a unique opportunity for restaurant patrons to give back to food service industry that is the backbone of our local communities. Throughout October, numerous restaurants are participating in fundraising initiatives ranging from special events to month-long donation drives. All proceeds will support Giving Kitchen's mission to provide financial assistance and  Stability Network referrals to free and low-cost community resources to food service workers facing unexpected hardships such as illness, injury, home disaster, or the death of an immediate family member.  

Participation is easy and impactful: 

Visit Our Map: Use the interactive map on the Dining With Gratitude website to find a participating restaurant near you. Type in your city, state, or zip code to see the nearest locations. 

Dine Out: Enjoy a meal or cocktail at participating restaurants indicated by orange pins for month-long fundraisers or yellow pins for one-day events, exclusive dinners, or parties. 

Spread the Word: Share your Dining With Gratitude experiences on social media with the hashtag #DiningWithGratitude to help raise awareness and tag @givingkitchen to be featured on our social channels.  
 
Don’t see your favorite restaurant participating? There’s still time to sign-up to raise critical funds and educate restaurant staff and food service workers about the services Giving Kitchen offers to industry team members during an unexpected crisis.  
 

"Food service workers have always been there for us, serving with smiles through good times and bad," said Jen Hidinger-Kendrick, Founder of Giving Kitchen. "Dining With Gratitude allows us to give back to them in a meaningful way. Your participation helps ensure that no food service worker has to face a crisis alone.”  

Giving Kitchen supports food service workers throughout your entire community – servers at your favorite restaurant, bartenders at your favorite pub, cafeteria workers at your children’s school, and concessionaires at the ballpark.  
 
Food service workers are the unsung heroes of our communities. Each day, they serve us with unparalleled dedication—all while quietly facing their own formidable challenges. 
 

• Since inception in 2013, 44 percent of all Ask For Help forms (the very first step in receiving assistance from GK) were received since the start of 2023. 

• Giving Kitchen has provided over $13 million dollars to food service workers in crisis, distributed over 7,000 Financial Assistance awards, and served over 14,000 Stability Network clients. 

• The assistance provided by Giving Kitchen is equal to 789 years of rent and utility assistance. GK has prevented an estimated $600,000 in rental late fees to food service workers. 

• Almost 1,050 food service workers have taken Giving Kitchen’s free QPR suicide prevention training.  

• On average, GK Stability Network clients are referred to more than 10 local agencies or programs in their area that can help provide community assistance.