Giving Kitchen and American Legion #207 channel personal loss into local support

Two organizations in Georgia have transformed personal tragedy into sustained support for vulnerable workers and veterans. The Giving Kitchen fund and American Legion Post #207 in Tucker were both born from sudden crises that forced their leaders to rebuild from the ground up.

Chef Ryan Hidinger was diagnosed with Stage 4 terminal cancer in December 2012. He and his wife, Jen Hidinger-Kendrick, used the period of his medical care to brainstorm a new model for helping food service employees. The idea was developed on a conference call with close friends who worked in the restaurant industry.

Hidinger-Kendrick said her late husband wanted the organization to serve everyone in the industry. He told the group, “All I know is that I want this to be for everyone.” That sentiment became the guiding principle for the charity, which now operates nationally.

In the 13 years since its founding, Giving Kitchen expanded from a 13-county service area in Atlanta to the entire United States. In late October, the group awarded its 18 millionth dollar to a line cook in Georgia. The recipient, a parent of two young children, could not work after suffering a collapsed lung.

Hidinger-Kendrick noted that food service is the second largest employer in the United States but one of the lowest paying. She stated that nearly half of the organization's clients raise children on wages below a livable income. This financial precarity means a single medical or work crisis can threaten an entire household's stability.

In 2026, Giving Kitchen has distributed $1.2 million to more than 1,100 food service workers. The organization also referred nearly 3,000 additional workers to other necessary resources. Hidinger-Kendrick said the fund now supports over 42,000 households.

A similar pattern of recovery from disaster occurred at American Legion Post #207 in Tucker. The building was destroyed by an electrical fire in 2019. Before the fire, the post had lost its focus on supporting veterans, operating more like a general community bar, according to Scott Brady.

Brady, a Marine veteran, contacted Commander Anthony Mathis after the fire. Mathis was in discussions to sell the land. Brady raised more than $200,000 to pay for work already completed, a task he described as getting the organization off life support. He accomplished this in four months, longer than his initial two-month estimate.

After securing that initial funding, Brady shifted focus to rebuilding the community aspect of the post. He sought to create a space that embraced veterans and their families while giving back to the public. Individual and corporate donors, including Home Depot, supported the effort over the next four years.

The rebuilding campaign received a final push from a recent $150,000 anonymous donation from an Army veteran with ties to the Tucker area. The 5,500-square-foot facility is close to completion. Brady said the foundation is now in place, even if the building still needs work to become fully functional.

Membership at Post #207 has grown to more than 100 members. That is a significant increase from the approximately 22 members present when Brady started the rebuilding campaign. Brady cited the support of local veterans as a key factor in his motivation to complete the project.