Statements
Mission
Restaurant and hospitality workers statistically include the highest concentration of those most vulnerable in our community, many with little or no safety net. Big Table exists to see the lives of those working in the restaurant and hospitality industry transformed by building community and caring for those in crisis, transition, or falling through the cracks. Learn more at https://bigtable.org/
Background
Big Table launched our local care team in Nashville in 2021, after twelve years of development and work caring for the restaurant and hospitality industry in other cities including Spokane, Washington (2009) and San Diego, California (2019). Our original founder, Kevin Finch, still serves as Executive Director nationally and is more passionate now about the need for Big Table care than when Big Table first launched. He initially saw the need for an organization to care for those in the industry while working as a food writer and restaurant critic in the Northwest. At that point, there was not a single non-profit in the entire nation registered with the IRS whose mission was to care for those in the restaurant and hospitality industry, despite the fact that 1.5 million non-profits existed. This gap in care was stunning given two statistics: (1) this one industry was (and remains) the largest in the nation, and (2) as the lowest rung on the employment ladder, it concentrates all of our most vulnerable demographics in one place, including at-risk teens, single parents, immigrants, income-insecure seniors, those rebuilding their lives after release from prison, and typically the largest grouping of BIPOC in any community.
Impact
Big Table directly impacts not just those in the massively underserved restaurant and hospitality industry but the whole community. Our unique referral model and focus on the one industry that concentrates the most vulnerable in the community helps us serve those right on the edge BEFORE they fall. This powerful RELATIONAL safety net offers both immediate triage help and longer-term coaching and mentoring that builds individual and family resilience and capacity rather than social service dependence.
Our track record of success with over a decade of data reinforces our core commitment that what truly changes lives long-term is not simply programmatic interventions but safe relationships that create capacity and hope over time. Our Nashville office opened in July 2021 and had its first online care referral that same month. In our first three months, we helped two restaurant workers - each living out of a car - to secure housing as well as seven others that were behind on rent because of job loss or unpaid leave due to having Covid or a family member having it. Several had been given eviction timelines before we stepped in to help. We have supported others with mental health challenges and another care recipient navigating a recent cancer diagnosis. Many of our referrals have come from someone we already helped who wanted to extend that same care to their struggling coworkers. In one instance, a manager who was referring one of her team members asked about getting help herself to find a local counselor. Just about everyone in the industry seems to need care at some point.
What is unique about Big Table's impact is that our focus on an industry rather than a single issue allows us access to a variety of crisis situations. The stabilizing nature of a supportive relationship linked to our network of resources changes lives in real time and offers long term connection.
Each year since opening, the goal is primarily to increase our reach through care relationships and care partners that offer financial support or care resources. Every day we hear from our care recipients an expression of gratitude that Big Table exists and helped them in their time of need. That sense of being seen and valued offers hope. Big Table wants to Serve Hope to the wonderful people of Nashville!
Needs
Big Table focuses support on one critically underserved group - those in the restaurant and hospitality industry - with whatever they need to move from crisis to stability. As we build our Nashville footprint, we are looking for local care partners and resources such as dentists, doctors, lawyers, accountants, auto mechanics, reliable cars that are fairly priced or donated, and more.
And financially, we need to increase our ability to care for more recipients. Not surprisingly, housing, transportation, and mental health resources are the most frequent requested needs. Through our coaching model, we are able to identify what help would offer the most immediate stabilization. We then can move toward long-term capacity-building and an upward trajectory toward success.
Service Categories |
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| Primary Category: | Human Services - Human Services NEC |
| Secondary Category: | Human Services - Emergency Assistance (Food, Clothing, Cash) |
| Tertiary Category: | - |
Areas Served
Big Table Nashville covers all of Davidson and a few miles into contiguous counties to include primarily Williamson, Wilson, and Sumner.
| TN - Davidson |
