From the beginning

  • April 2020

    Service Founded



    The inaugural Service! initiative was a free boxed meal program designed to feed unemployed workers in the service industry and their families. Delivering 200 meals per day.

  • May 2020

    First Grants Distributed


    Service! distributed grants to hospitality workers to address shortterm hardships for those who experienced a lack of resources to pay for essential expenses

  • Summer 2021

    Started Cafe Overlook Partnership

    A joint project from Service! Relief for Hospitality Workers and the Franklin County Board of Commissioners, Cafe Overlook is an innovative collaboration between the public and private sectors with a mission to eliminate financial insecurity among those working in the service industry.

  • March 2022

    Cafe Overlook Grand Opening


    Cafe Overlook offers breakfast and lunch service on weekdays, doubling as an education and training program where staff gain invaluable mentorship from industry professionals while mastering back-of-house and front-of-house skills.

  • May 2024

    First Annual Gala



    More than just a celebration; it's a powerful gathering dedicated to empowering hospitality workers and breaking the cycle of financial insecurity.

  • July 2025

    Construction Begins



    The Service Innovation Kitchen is transforming an empty downtown space into a state-of-the-art culinary center—home to The Line, our training ground for hospitality workers—designed to train the next generation, strengthen local businesses, and fuel economic mobility.

we BELIEVE! EVERY HOSPITALITY WORKER DESERVES A LIVING WAGE, RESPECT, AND EQUITY IN THE WORKPLACE. WE BELIEVE THAT TOGETHER WE CAN CREATE AN INDUSTRY WHERE BUSINESSES CAN OPERATE BOTH ETHICALLY AND PROFITABILITY, OFFERING A LIVING WAGE, BUILDING A MORE EQUITABLE WORKFORCE, AND FINDING OPPORTUNITIES TO ADVANCE SO THAT BUSINESSES AND WORKERS CAN THRIVE TOGETHER.

We Stand For:

  • EMPLOYMENT BASED ON A FOUNDATION OF EQUITY, RESPECT, AND MOVING TOWARD LIVING WAGES

  • EMPLOYMENT IN THE HOSPITALITY INDUSTRY AS A NOBLE, LONG-TERM CAREER OPPORTUNITY

  • THE NEED FOR ALL STAKEHOLDERS - WORKERS, OWNERS, CUSTOMERS, SUPPLIERS, COMMUNITY - TO WORK TOGETHER TO ADVANCE CHANGE IN OUR INDUSTRY

  • FAIR FOOD PRICING THAT IS EVERYONE'S RESPONSIBILITY AND SERVES AS A FOUNDATION FOR THE SUCCESS AND SUSTAINABILITY OF HOSPITALITY BUSINESSES AND THEIR WORKERS

  • HEALTH CARE COVERAGE AND SUPPORT FOR WORKERS EXPERIENCING MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE-USE DISORDERS

  • AN INDUSTRY THAT REFLECTS THE COMMUNITY ITS SERVES, IN EVERY FACET AND AT EVERY LEVEL

  • PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS AS A NECESSARY ENGINE OF TRANSFORMATION

Our Team

We celebrate full board giving, leadership starts here.

  • Sangeeta Lakhani

    Executive Director / Co-Founder

  • Matthew Heaggans

    Advisory Board Member / Co-Founder

  • Letha Pugh

    Advisory Board Member / Co-Founder

  • Amy Flowers

    Chair

  • Rasheedah Crawley

    Vice Chair

  • Shoshanna Gross

    Treasurer

  • Nicholas Dekker

    Secretary

  • Wendy Sherman Heckler

    Strategic Planning

  • Leigh Ann Simms

    Resource & Fundraising

  • Malik Malone

    Community Engagement

OUR SUPPORTERS

Federal Grant (Joyce Beatty):
$475,000

Franklin County Board of Commissioners:
$250,000

Franklin County Community Partnership:
$1.5M

City of Columbus (Elevate):
$300,000

CDDC:
$100,000

The Columbus Foundation:
$100,000

Workforce Partners:

Franklin County Job & Family Services - One
Door Peggy's Soulfood
Famous Supply
Prestons
Family Pizzera
Red Robin
Bake Me Happy
Friendly Candles
PFM
Koltermans Bakery
Lighthouse Minsteries
Care Giver -
Home Health Aide

Taco Bell
Military
Reene Bar
Marlow's Cheesesteaks
Together and Company
Convention Center
Connecting Housing Blocks - Construction
Intern Solutions
Trinity Home health
Kellose
Generation Home health

Green Scope Business Owner
Maryhaven
Reset
Southeast
Kindred Behavioral Health
Columbus State
Columbus City Schools- High School Diploma
Focus Learning
Academy- High School
Godman Guild- GED program

Awards & Recognitions

  • Columbus Craft Cocktail Tour presented Service! with its Humanitarian Award, for dedicating time and talent to support hospitality workers during the pandemic and beyond, at the Columbus Cocktail Classic on Sept. 5, 2021.

  • Short North Alliance named Service! as a Community Partner Honoree at the Short North Gala on Aug. 18, 2021.

  • Columbus Urban League presented Service! with the Empowerment Day Award to recognize Service! for standing up for hospitality workers devastated by layoffs during the height of COVID 19 on November 19, 2020.

  • The Metropreneur’s Emerging Social Enterprise of the Year Award recognizes businesses that choose more than just profit, aligning themselves with missions that provide supportive employment, donate products or profits, and find other ways to give back and make an impact on the local community. Service! was presented with this award at Aspire 2022.

Our Partners