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Monday 10am - 4pm Tuesday 10am - 4pm Wednesday 10am - 4pm Thursday 10am - 4pm

The Love Kitchen

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Knoxville, TN
The Love Kitchen

Contribute to our cause: https://thelovekitchen.org/donations/donate-to-the-love-kitchen/ Never take the last piece of bread.

In 1984, Helen Ashe first dreamed of creating a program to serve the needy of Knoxville. One day as she was watching television she saw a soup line operated by the Church Street United Methodist Church and she knew then what her mission was to be. Her twin sister, Ellen, quickly shared in her excitement and joined in her new quest. The sisters, born in Abbeville, South Carolina, feel that the conc

ept of The Love Kitchen has always been with them in the ideals instilled by their parents. Ellen and Helen are very thankful for the teachings of their parents and will always remember the three "truths" their father taught them:

* 1. Someone may come by in need of it.
* 2. There is only one race, the human race.
* 3. There is only one Father and that is the Father in Heaven. Helen and Ellen's dream became a reality in the basement of a small church in February 1986. The first day the Love Kitchen opened its doors, they served 22 meals. Today The Love Kitchen prepares over 2,000 meals each week and more than eighty percent of these meals are delivered to homebound recipients. On Wednesdays there is an in-house breakfast served and emergency food bags prepared and distributed. Thursdays, an in-house lunch is also served and preparations continue for homebound meal deliveries. In 2001, The Love Kitchen celebrated the "dawn" of The Love Kitchen Community Center. This center will offer training classes and be a "safe haven" for Knoxville's underprivileged children.

08/29/2026

🧟‍♂️🔥 KNOXVILLE, ARE YOU READY TO GET FUNKY WITH THE DEAD?! 🔥🧟‍♀️
If you have NEVER seen Here Come the Mummies live, let me give you a little advice:
GO. SEE. THIS. BAND.
Seriously.
These guys are not some novelty act that happens to wear mummy costumes. They are INSANELY talented musicians who put on one of the most fun, outrageous, high-energy shows you will ever see. Funk. Soul. Horns. Groove. Mayhem. Dancing. And enough mystery to keep you wondering exactly who the heck is underneath all those bandages. 😂

Nobody knows who they really are… Some say they're Grammy-winning studio musicians. Some say they're 5,000-year-old Egyptian mummies. I say who cares?! TURN UP THE FUNK! 🕺💃🔥

On Saturday, September 12, Here Come the Mummies are taking over the Performance Lawn at World’s Fair Park for a night of music, dancing, and “Terrifying Funk from Beyond the Grave.” 💀🎶

And here's the BEST part:
You can have an absolutely outrageous night AND help your community at the same time.
❤️ The Love Kitchen and Breast Connect are the two local charities benefiting from this concert.

So grab your friends, grab a camp chair or blanket, put on your dancing shoes, and come get your FUNK ON with us!
September 12 • World’s Fair Park • Doors at 6 PM
Come for the Mummies.
Stay for the FUNK.
Dance for a good cause.
And help support The Love Kitchen and Breast Connect! ❤️
Trust me… you do NOT want to miss this one.

🎟️ Tickets: https://www.freshtix.com/events/here-come-the-mummies--9-12

08/22/2026

25 YEARS LATER, WE REMEMBER. WE HONOR. WE COME TOGETHER.

On September 11, 2026, exactly 25 years after the attacks that changed our country forever, Knoxville will come together at World’s Fair Park for Tributes & Tunes: A Night of Honor.

This special evening is a chance to remember those we lost, honor the heroes who answered the call, and recognize the first responders who continue to serve our communities every single day.

❤️ And while The Love Kitchen is proud to help promote this event, this one isn't about us. It's about them.

The Knoxville Public Safety Foundation supports firefighters, law enforcement officers, EMS personnel, and first-responder families across East Tennessee. This concert will help support that important work.

And there will be some incredible East Tennessee talent on stage, including Cruz Contreras and the Black Lillies, with special appearances by Con Hunley, Eric Baker, Jill Andrews, Hanna Marie Kelley, Jeanine Fuller and The True Funk Souldiers, with more to come. 🎶

There will also be a 343 Remembrance Wall, Survivor Tree Tribute, Honor Guard Presentation, First Responder Recognition Ceremony, and other moments of reflection throughout the evening.

🎟️ General admission starts at just $25.
Want to make the evening extra special? VIP tickets are $50 and include a dinner buffet, private restrooms, and a dedicated viewing area.

And there's an especially meaningful gesture for the people being honored: First responders get in FREE.

Please consider joining us on September 11.

Come listen to some great music.
Come remember.
Come say thank you.
Come stand with the people who run toward the danger when the rest of us are running away.

We will never forget. 🇺🇸

📅 September 11, 2026
📍 World’s Fair Park Performance Lawn
🎶 Tributes & Tunes: A Night of Honor

🎟️ Tickets: https://www.freshtix.com/events/tributes-and-tunes-25th-anniversary-of-911

More information: https://concertsforourown.org/concerts

#91125

08/13/2026

The Love Kitchen continues to deliver to our homebound recipients with the help of the Arena Cafe at Thompson-Boling Arena at Food City Center.

I was unsure how we were going to continue to serve our homebound people after our fire. We could not cook at the kitchen and we had hundreds of people relying on our deliveries. But reaching out to people showed me that there are many friends of The Love Kitchen who love to help. I, and all of us at The Love Kitchen, thank you Vols!

08/04/2026

Our cleanup and rebuilding continues. It is not easy, or fast, but we will continue until we are back open. Thanks to our volunteers and donors that see value in what we do.❤️

07/30/2026

❤️ A heartfelt thank you to Food City for their incredibly generous donation of $1,000 in gift cards to help The Love Kitchen recover from the fire at our facility.

Support like this reminds us that even in difficult times, our community comes together with compassion and hope. These gift cards will help us replace essential items and continue serving our neighbors who depend on us.

A very special thank you to Betsi James for arranging this wonderful donation. Your kindness, thoughtfulness, and support mean more than words can express.

From all of us at The Love Kitchen, and from the countless people we serve each week, thank you for helping us move one step closer to recovery. ❤️

07/23/2026

The Love Kitchen has always been a place where our community comes together to care for one another. Today, we are the ones asking for your help.

As we continue cleaning up after the fire, we are not yet able to accept food or other item donations. We know so many of you are eager to help, and we are deeply grateful for that love and support.

Right now, the greatest need is financial support. Monetary donations will allow us to replace the food, drinks, spices, and other essential supplies that were lost, so we can begin serving our neighbors again as soon as possible.

Every gift—large or small—is an investment in hope. It helps ensure that no one in our community goes without a warm meal and a caring smile when they need it most.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for standing with The Love Kitchen during this difficult time. Your kindness reminds us that while a fire can damage a building, it cannot diminish the compassion of this community.

❤️ If you would like to help us rebuild and restock, please consider making a monetary donation today. Together, we will continue Helen & Ellen's mission of serving our neighbors with love.

07/20/2026

Kindness has a way of bringing people together, and today we are celebrating just that.

The Love Kitchen is honored to be selected for a award from , thanks to the support of our local partners (employees). Their belief in our mission helps ensure that our homebound neighbors continue receiving nutritious meals and a caring visit from our volunteers.

From all of us at The Love Kitchen—and from the recipients we serve every week—thank you for investing in a stronger, more compassionate community. We are truly grateful.

07/12/2026

In times of hardship, our community reminds us just how strong we are when we work together.

A heartfelt thank you to Knoxville-Knox County CAC Office on Aging (Mobile Meals) for stepping in to help The Love Kitchen continue serving our homebound recipients following our recent fire. By providing meals for our dedicated volunteer drivers to deliver along their regular routes, they have ensured that some of our most vulnerable neighbors continue to receive the nourishment and care they depend on.

This is what compassion in action looks like. We are deeply grateful for Mobile Meals' generosity, partnership, and commitment to serving our community alongside us.

Together, we continue Helen & Ellen's mission of feeding the hungry, homeless, helpless. hopeless, and homebound with love.

❤️ Thank you, Mobile Meals, for helping us keep hope—and meals—on the move.

07/07/2026

On Friday, July 3rd The Love Kitchen experienced a fire at our facility.

We are thankful to share that everyone is safe and no one was injured. Our team is working closely with local officials, our insurance company, and a cleanup company to get The Love Kitchen back up and running.

We have already received many messages asking how you can help, and we are deeply thankful for your kindness and support. At this time, we ask that you please wait before bringing food donations. We will let everyone know as soon as we are able to safely receive donations again.

Please follow our social media pages and your local news for updates as more information becomes available.

Thank you for your prayers, patience, and continued support of The Love Kitchen. We are humbled by this community's love, and we will keep you informed every step of the way.

Here are the news links that I know about:

https://www.wvlt.tv/2026/07/03/long-time-knoxville-non-profit-damaged-fire/

https://www.wvlt.tv/2026/07/03/love-kitchen-fire-temporarily-shuts-down-knoxville-community-kitchen-operations/

https://www.wvlt.tv/2026/07/07/mobile-meals-steps-up-feed-love-kitchens-homebound-residents-after-fire/

https://www.wate.com/news/knox-county-news/fire-causes-damage-to-the-love-kitchen-in-knoxville/

https://www.wbir.com/article/news/local/knoxville/the-love-kitchen-fire/51-1e14ccf6-c30e-4010-84d6-3ead2632450c

07/04/2026

🇺🇸 On this July 4th, as we celebrate the 250th anniversary of our nation’s independence, we are reminded of the strength of a community that cares for one another.

The promise of our country has always been shaped by people who choose kindness, compassion, and service — neighbors helping neighbors and hearts reaching out to those in need.

At The Love Kitchen, we are blessed to continue Helen & Ellen’s mission of providing food, hope, and love to our community. Every meal served and every act of kindness shared is a reminder that the spirit of caring for one another is what truly makes a community strong.

From our family at The Love Kitchen, we wish you a safe, joyful, and meaningful Independence Day. ❤️🤍💙

Address

2418 Martin Luther King Jr Avenue
Knoxville, TN
37915

Opening Hours

Monday	10am - 4pm
Tuesday	10am - 4pm
Wednesday	10am - 4pm
Thursday	10am - 4pm

Telephone

+18655463248

Website

http://www.thelovekitchen.org/

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