The Lord's Kitchen

Volunteers and staff from The Lord’s Kitchen and racetrack and corporate team members from Churchill Downs have started Thanksgiving Week beneath the historic Twin Spires with the annual task of preparing boxes of food items that will distributed with frozen turkeys during the charitable organization’s annual Thanksgiving Family Food Box Giveaway at the track on Tuesday, Nov. 22.

The Thanksgiving food boxes, which contain canned goods and other non-perishable items sufficient to feed a family of four, are being assembled today by volunteers in the Paddock Pavilion, the site of Tuesday’s distribution.  Many Churchill Downs employees and officials have also donated food items for the boxes, with some track departments competing against each other for the honor of collecting the largest amount of food items donated to the annual event.

Nearly 600 families were served during the Thanksgiving Family Food Box Giveaway in 2010 and at least that many will receive frozen turkeys and boxes packed with holiday foods and trimmings this year.  The food box distribution is scheduled for 10 a.m. (all times EST) Tuesday in the track’s Paddock Pavilion.

Only those who previously registered to participate in The Lord’s Kitchen’s Thanksgiving Family Food Box Giveaway will be provided with a turkey and food box on Tuesday. There is no walk-up distribution.  Information on The Lord’s Kitchen is available online at www.theLordsKitchen.com.

The Lord’s Kitchen is located just a few blocks from Churchill Downs at 2732 South 5^thStreet and has been serving needy families and residents in the neighborhood surrounding the historic home of the Kentucky Derby since Christmas Day, 1988. The organization recently expanded its mission and facilities with the opening of its City of Hope at 18^th and Standard Avenue.

The 2011 renewal marks the fifth consecutive year that Churchill Downs has teamed with The Lord’s Kitchen for the holiday Family Food Box Giveaway.

“The Thanksgiving Family Food Box Giveaway is always a very special occasion for needy residents in our community that we serve 365 days a year and the volunteers who open their hearts to provide their time, service and financial support for this event,” said Sam Watene, executive director of The Lord’s Kitchen.  “Churchill Downs is both a good neighbor and important supporter of the work of The Lord’s Kitchen, and it is a joy each year to join the generous volunteers from its staff for this event that touches so many lives during a very important time.  The need among the families we serve in neighborhoods surrounding Churchill Downs and throughout our entire community continues to grow, so we thank Churchill Downs and those throughout Metro Louisville who support of our Thanksgiving  Family Food Box Giveaway and the work of The Lord’s Kitchen throughout the year.”

Additional volunteers to serve meals at The Lord’s Kitchen on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day are needed. Those interested in volunteering or donating food for other holiday programs at The Lord’s Kitchen should call (502) 964-3304, ext. 1250. 

Volunteers from The Lord's Kitchen and Churchill Downs distributed more than 500 frozen turkeys and boxes of food filled with Thanksgiving food items to needy residents in neighborhoods surrounding the historic track during Tuesday's annual Thanksgiving Family Food Box Giveaway in the track's Paddock Pavilion.

Departments from departments throughout the historic home of the Kentucky Derby contributed food and time to the annual giveaway organized by The Lord's Kitchen, which has been feeding needy residents in those neighborhoods for more than 20 years.  

More than 50 Churchill Downs employees were involved in the assembling of food boxes and in Tuesday's distribution of the holiday meals to needy residents who had pre-registered with The Lord's Kitchen for the annual event.  Along with the frozen turkeys, the food boxes contained canned goods and non-perishable items sufficient to feed a family of four on Thanksgiving Day.

The Lord’s Kitchen, which is located just a few blocks from the historic racetrack at 2732 South 5th Street, has been serving needy families and residents in the neighborhood near Churchill Downs since 1988. Additional volunteers to serve meals at The Lord’s Kitchen on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day are needed. Those interested in volunteering or donating food for other holiday programs at The Lord’s Kitchen should call (502) 964-3304 ext. 1250.  More information on the work of The Lord’s Kitchen is available on its Web site at www.thelordskitchen.com.

Volunteers from The Lord’s Kitchen and Churchill Downs will again become partners beneath the historic Twin Spires providing needy families and neighbors with frozen turkeys and boxes of food during the annual Thanksgiving Family Food Box Giveaway on Tuesday, Nov. 23.

Nearly 600 families were served during the event last year and a similar number is expected to receive turkeys and boxes of holiday trimmings in the distribution that scheduled for 10 a.m. (EST) Tuesday in the track’s Paddock Pavilion.  This year’s renewal marks the fourth consecutive year that Churchill Downs has teamed with The Lord’s Kitchen for the holiday Family Food Box Giveaway.

The food boxes, which contain canned goods and non-perishable items sufficient to feed a family of four on Thanksgiving, are being assembled today by volunteers from The Lord’s Kitchen and members of the Churchill Downs team. Track employees and officials have also donated food items that are being placed in those Thanksgiving boxes, with some track departments competing against each other for the honor of largest amount of food items donated to the charitable event.

Tickets for participants in the Thanksgiving Family Food Box Giveaway were distributed earlier at a luncheon at Bellarmine University.  Only those who previously registered to participate in the event will be provided with a turkey and food box..   There is no walk-up distribution.

“The Thanksgiving Family Food Box Giveaway is always a special occasion for our volunteers and the residents of this community that we 365 days a year,” said Sam Watene, who has served as executive director of The Lord’s Kitchen since January and participated in last year’s giveaway.  “Churchill Downs is both a good neighbor and important supporter of the work of The Lord’s Kitchen, and it is always wonderful to join with its employees in this wonderful event.  The need among the families we serve is greater than ever in this year’s Thanksgiving season, and we thank Churchill Downs and the entire community for supporting the work of The Lord’s Kitchen throughout the year.”

The Lord’s Kitchen, which is located just a few blocks from the historic racetrack at 2732 South 5th Street, has been serving needy families and residents in the neighborhood near Churchill Downs since 1988. Additional volunteers to serve meals at The Lord’s Kitchen on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day are needed. Those interested in volunteering or donating food for other holiday programs at The Lord’s Kitchen should call (502) 964-3304 ext. 1250.  More information on the work of The Lord’s Kitchen is available on its Web site at www.thelordskitchen.com.

More than 500 families and individuals  received frozen turkeys and boxes of food that contained canned goods and other holiday trimmings at Churchill Downs on Tuesday, Nov. 24 as The Lord’s Kitchen conducted its annual Thanksgiving Family Food Box Giveaway at the home of the Kentucky Derby.

Volunteers from The Lord’s Kitchen joined team members from the Churchill Downs racetrack and corporate offices in distributing the frozen turkeys and food boxes to needy residents who filed through the track’s Paddock Pavilion.  Tuesday’s giveaway marked the third consecutive year in which the Thanksgiving Family Food Box Giveaway had been held at the historic racetrack.

The Lord’s Kitchen, located a few blocks from Churchill Downs at 2732 South 5th Street, is in its 21st year of serving needy families and residents in the neighborhood.

To help families is, I think, one of the most honorable acts in life, and The Lord’s Kitchen has been doing this work since Christmas Day of 1988,” said Rev. Larry Coleman, the director of the Lord’s Kitchen.  “When you help someone else in life, you always know that you’ve made a difference in their life.  It’s exciting to be able to help people in this, and we thank Churchill Downs for the way it has partnered with us to reach members to the community.”

The food boxes distributed on Tuesday included more than 3,200 pounds of food donated by employees of Churchill Downs racetrack; Churchill Downs Incorporated; Levy Restaurants, the track’s food service provider; and Brantley Services, which provides security, parking and other services to the track.

“Churchill Downs is honored to again join Pastor Coleman and the wonderful volunteers from The Lord’s Kitchen in the Thanksgiving Family Food Box Giveaway that helps so many needy families in the neighborhoods surrounding to our track,” said Dana Johnson, director of Community Relations.  “Our racetrack and corporate teams and staff members from Levy Restaurants and Brantley Services have embraced this special event, and their enthusiasm and generosity grows each year.  It’s an honor to work with Pastor Coleman and the volunteers of The Lord’s Kitchen, whose selfless work touches the lives of so many of our neighbors during the holidays and throughout the year.”

Persons interested in volunteering or donating food to The Lord’s Kitchen during the holidays or throughout the year can obtain information by calling (502) 964-3304 ext. 1250.  

Nearly 600 needy families in Louisville received food that will be served on their Thanksgiving dinner tables as The Lord's Kitchen distributed frozen turkeys and boxes of food during its annual Thanksgiving Family Food Box Giveaway on Tuesday at Churchill Downs. [asset|height=12|width=1][asset|height=12|width=1]

            Hundreds of people were lined up at the Gate 1 entrance to the famed home of the Kentucky Derby when the doors opened at noon (EST) for the holiday food giveaway, which was conducted by The Lord's Kitchen in the track's Paddock Pavilion for the second consecutive year.

            The Lord's Kitchen, which is located just a few blocks from the historic racetrack at 2732 South 5^th Street, is in its 20^th year of serving the needs of needy families and residents in the neighborhood.  Rev. Larry Coleman, the director of The Lord's Kitchen, estimated that more than 570 families were provided at Tuesday's event with food boxes that contained canned goods and non-perishable items sufficient to feed a family of four.

            The distribution included 450 turkeys - 100 of which had been donated by Churchill Downs.  Members of the staffs at Churchill Downs and Churchill Downs Incorporated donated food items for the event and volunteered to help in the distribution of the food boxes in the Paddock Pavilion.

            "It's been a great day in our community," said Rev. Coleman.  "Churchill Downs is one of our closest corporate neighbors, and it's just been a great day to be able to touch families at Thanksgiving time.  We gave out turkeys and all the fixings to go with that.  We serve 365 days a year at The Lord's Kitchen - every day we're serving families."

            Coleman has been with The Lord's Kitchen since its first day of operation on Christmas Day 1988.  He said the need for the Thanksgiving Family Food Box Giveaway and for the daily services offered by his organization has grown sharply in recent weeks as the turmoil in the American economy has worsened.

            "The need has really increased - we're seeing even middle class individuals come," Coleman said.  "Individuals normally walk to our facility, but now some are driving up in pretty nice automobiles.  You see a lot of people who've lost their jobs.  We're serving a lot of different groups of people now."

            "We were very happy to help out last year when Rev. Coleman called and said The Lord's Kitchen needed more space to accommodate the growing number of people served in its Thanksgiving food giveaway," said Dana Johnson, director of community relations for Churchill Downs.  "Our employees quickly embraced this event and have donated their time and energy - along with needed food items - to help make this event a success.  We applaud the work that Rev. Coleman and the staff and volunteers of The Lord's Kitchen for the important work they perform in our neighborhood every day and Churchill Downs is proud to be a partner with the organization in that work."

            Coleman said that, while The Lord's Kitchen serves meals to needy families every day, more volunteers are would be needed to help in the serving of meals at the South 5^th Street facility on both Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.  As many as 350 meals are expected to be served on each of those days.  Those interested in volunteering or donating food to The Lord's Kitchen should call (502) 964-3304 ext. 1250.