Katie Deleon, Giving Kitchen Caseworker
Katie Deleon was 19 and working three jobs as a nanny, receptionist, and waiter in order to pay her way through Georgia State University. But then she developed a severe skin rash that covered her entire body. “I just kept ending up back in the hospital,” she said, “and I learned that people don’t want to look at your crusty arms.”
Thanks to her service job, she was able to get an award from Giving Kitchen to cover her life expenses while she waited for the rash to subside. She was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder and put on a full regimen of immunosuppressants. Two years later she had dropped out of college to earn enough money as a server to get back on her feet.
Her disease expressed itself again, this time with chest tumors that required two surgeries. Giving Kitchen came through again with enough money to pay for three months of rent and utilities. She was able to reenroll in college. Yet because she was so severely immunocompromised, she caught COVID and was off work for a month, and again, Giving Kitchen was able to help.
She graduated with a degree in psychology, and when she began to consider a career, she kept thinking about Jen Hidinger and her story. She realized she wanted to work for Giving Kitchen. Now she is a bilingual English and Spanish caseworker with a focus on mental health challenges.
Andre Castenell Jr., Director of the Giving Kitchen Call Center
Saasha Wilson discovered the hard way that Atlanta’s “right to work” laws mean a “right to fire.” At the height of the pandemic, she developed a basal cell carcinoma on her face, which required surgery. Her employer threatened to fire her if she took too much time off, so she went to work with her face mask covering the incision and continued working through chemo. The cancer spread to her neck and eye, requiring multiple surgeries.
“Giving Kitchen is the only organization that helped me out,” she said. She received an award for three months of rent and utilities to see her through the loss of income when she was too sick to work. “Andre, my caseworker, was always checking in with me and supporting me. It was so helpful to have someone outside my wheelhouse being that supportive.” Even after she had her final surgery to remove her eye, he kept the support line open. “I remember being on the MARTA platform after lunch service and I’d get his text.”