Financial Assistance After Spinal Injury Helped Brendan Heal.

Brendan Town, an Atlanta-based Recruiting Partner at Goodwin Recruiting, shares his story in this heartwarming Giving Kitchen article. He recounted the assistance he received from Giving Kitchen not once, but twice, when accidental injuries kept him out of work. He says that the assistance he received “was fantastic. It allowed me to take time to take care of myself.”

TOWN: “In 2013, I was hit by a car while heading home after taking inventory at work. The accident came without warning and left me with a severe shoulder injury.

Facing months out of work, I worried about covering my living expenses without a paycheck. A coworker at The Lawrence told me about Giving Kitchen and the support it offered during difficult times.

Giving Kitchen covered a couple of months of rent and utilities. That support was a tremendous relief, giving me time to focus on caring for myself.”

Fast forward to 2023, Brendan had worked at many wonderful restaurants, met his wife, and traveled to Hawaii for their honeymoon. After taking a surfing lesson on that trip,

TOWN: “I was diagnosed with surfer’s myelopathy. I felt as though I’d won the lottery of rare injuries. As I understand it, a blood vessel near my spinal cord in the thoracic region had kinked, causing something like a small stroke in the spine and leaving me paralyzed.

It was one of the scariest experiences of my life. My wife was five months pregnant, and I worried about her, our family, and whether I could continue working in the industry. Fortunately, my employer kept me on, so I could retain my health insurance. Giving Kitchen also supported me when I needed it most, giving me time to focus on healing.

During that time, I was fortunate to spend a wonderful year with my son, watching him grow from our little couch potato into a wobbly toddler. My love for hospitality never faded, so I became a hospitality recruiter with Goodwin Recruiting, connecting with talented people and clients. Now I relink with industry peers and help people and restaurants succeed.”

Read the full Giving Kitchen article at: Financial Assistance After Spinal Injury Helped Brendan Heal.