Community Meal Program
Real Good Kitchen Foundation’s (RGKF) Community Meal Program addresses food insecurity among East Knoxville and Mechanicsville working families with an innovative, client-centered, targeted approach. Informed by data showing significant food insecurity rates exacerbated by living in a food desert, the program will fill gaps between existing government programs and charitable food assistance efforts. Building on lessons learned during pilot projects, the Community Meal Program leverages RGF’s culinary resources and strong partnerships to establish an efficient, scalable model with families at its center. Phase I will provide a thorough needs assessment, an inventory of resources, strategic partnership development, and data-informed program design. The program’s objectives are clear: providing 400 fresh, nutritious, ready-to-eat meals weekly to East Knoxville and Mechanicsville families via partners’ afterschool and summer programs. Rigorous evaluation methods, including surveys and interviews conducted in collaboration with the UT Public Health Department, will establish our metrics for success and gauge the program’s efficacy. The program will respect the dignity of recipients by centering clients’ feedback, targeting gaps, and meeting the most fundamental physical needs of people experiencing hunger, who will always be among us.