Giving Kitchen, a nonprofit based in Atlanta, is dedicated to helping workers in the food service industry when they fall on hard times.

Average wages for nonmanagers at restaurants and bars hit $15 an hour in May, but many say no amount of pay would get them to return. They are leaving at the highest rate in decades.

Working in the food service industry can be a tough gig, even without a pandemic . Many workers are uninsured and — like the restaurants employing them ...