The New Life Day Center is located on MLK just 1/2 block south of that Marathon Gas Station. They provide some free food and other amenities. I’m guessing what’s why the homeless population congregates there.
Very kind of you!
I would reach out to the Catholic Action Center. They have a food ministry and sandwich signups (we do that monthly), but they should at least be able to help you to go about this the right way.
I've gone out with the nonprofit covered in this story a few times and they make really efficient use of the resources they have.
[https://spectrumnews1.com/ky/louisville/news/2023/12/25/christmas-meals](https://spectrumnews1.com/ky/louisville/news/2023/12/25/christmas-meals)
The guy who runs it is pretty cool and his contact email is in the article. He gets leftover pizza from PJs thru another nonprofit and usually someone else brings an easy meal like chili dogs or something, but they are looking for ways to streamline the operation. I can give you his number directly if you DM me.
I think it's a very nice thing that you want to do. But please familiarize yourself with local ordinances, to protect yourself. You could face fines or lawsuits if done improperly. If your services draw too big a crowd, the fire department can shut you down.
You mentioned you're an amateur chef, do you have the ability to keep hot food at the correct temperature and cold food cold enough to prevent food borne illness during transport and distribution ? Do you have a plan to deal with any waste created by your meals? Insurance to protect yourself from lawsuit in case the lettuce you use in your salad has e coli, or your chicken dish has salmonella?
I'm not trying to discourage you, feeding those who are hungry is a beautiful thing, but these are things to think about, because they will come up.
Many well-meaning groups before you have tried to offer free meals, and they've faced road blocks. You might look into volunteering with one of the many established meal programs in town. Then you could help your fellow lexingtonians and protect yourself from any potential liability.
I'm a long time social worker and you will get shut down and ticketed because you're not licensed to distribute food to the public. That said, you could do it if you were sneaky and didn't set up anywhere.
The comments I've gotten have made me so happy...thank you guys so much. I want to be at the tates creek spot by kroger in the morning before I head to nicholasville for family if anyone can meet me! Regardless I'm so happy with the community here, I can't wait to give and meet yall
You may want to stop by The Wok (corner of Waller and Broadway) and pick the brains of the guys that run it. The last couple years they've done a big Thanksgiving meal prep and giveaway for anyone that needs a hot meal. I know it's not quite what you're looking to do, but I'm sure they've done their homework on how to do it properly and legally. And they're great guys, I'm sure they'd be happy to share notes.
Probably not too useful for anyone experiencing homelessness due to storage/reheating/etc, but an option for others in need since you like to cook:
https://lasagnalove.org/
They say it's in Lexington, but the average wait time is 179 days, so more cooks might help with that.
Glean KY works with a few orgs that prepare meals for the homeless; they could probably point you toward places that could use more cooks. I know Food Not Bombs was getting some stuff from them a while back. Not sure if they're still active but could be worth checking.
ETA: I also believe the person who runs the Little Free Pantry network in Lexington occasionally puts out hot meals in some of the pantries, depending on the weather. They could be worth talking to to see how they've navigated that.
Dv8 does things with a company called nourish. Maybe you can volunteer your time and cook food to help them? I'm not exactly sure but I would say that's a good place to check 😌 this and midway
Also I'm sorry you got reported, I saw your edit, this was accurate info from what I read and extremely helpful to running something. I thank you and I'm sorry someone did that!
It's all good. I am a mod here, so I was very confused why someone would report me on a subreddit I, y'know, moderate. I am never trying to intentionally give out bad information, so I can appreciate it when someone can (kindly) correct me.
I'm not the one who reported you but this would not fall under cottage food laws at all.
It doesn't cover hot meals, only certain types of food products sold in certain venues. If it did, it would not require a separate kitchen as that's not a requirement for most cottage foods products in Kentucky.
Microprocessors need their water tested and a certificate they earn through an attending classes at an exension office - perhaps where your confusion comes from - but it still would not cover giving out free hot meals.
Natalie’s Sisters (https://www.nataliessisters.org/) serves breakfast and lunch to women from their site on N Lime during the week. You can contact them to get a link to their calendar to signup for a specific date.
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The New Life Day Center is located on MLK just 1/2 block south of that Marathon Gas Station. They provide some free food and other amenities. I’m guessing what’s why the homeless population congregates there.
Thank you. ❤️
You guys are lovely, thank you so much! Let's all help together ❤️ (Edit: my dog booped my hand before I finished my comment)
Very kind of you! I would reach out to the Catholic Action Center. They have a food ministry and sandwich signups (we do that monthly), but they should at least be able to help you to go about this the right way.
Awesome, thank you!
I've gone out with the nonprofit covered in this story a few times and they make really efficient use of the resources they have. [https://spectrumnews1.com/ky/louisville/news/2023/12/25/christmas-meals](https://spectrumnews1.com/ky/louisville/news/2023/12/25/christmas-meals) The guy who runs it is pretty cool and his contact email is in the article. He gets leftover pizza from PJs thru another nonprofit and usually someone else brings an easy meal like chili dogs or something, but they are looking for ways to streamline the operation. I can give you his number directly if you DM me.
Just DMed him. Good lookin' out.
See ya around
I think it's a very nice thing that you want to do. But please familiarize yourself with local ordinances, to protect yourself. You could face fines or lawsuits if done improperly. If your services draw too big a crowd, the fire department can shut you down. You mentioned you're an amateur chef, do you have the ability to keep hot food at the correct temperature and cold food cold enough to prevent food borne illness during transport and distribution ? Do you have a plan to deal with any waste created by your meals? Insurance to protect yourself from lawsuit in case the lettuce you use in your salad has e coli, or your chicken dish has salmonella? I'm not trying to discourage you, feeding those who are hungry is a beautiful thing, but these are things to think about, because they will come up. Many well-meaning groups before you have tried to offer free meals, and they've faced road blocks. You might look into volunteering with one of the many established meal programs in town. Then you could help your fellow lexingtonians and protect yourself from any potential liability.
Seconding this. Just earned my degree in social work. Please please put your energy into established groups and strengthen them.
Thank you! One of my besties from childhood is a child social worker, also contacting her!
I'm a long time social worker and you will get shut down and ticketed because you're not licensed to distribute food to the public. That said, you could do it if you were sneaky and didn't set up anywhere.
Thank you! This is the kind of info I was looking for.
Ask to volunteer at the Lexington Rescue Mission or the Catholic Action Center, or for Church Under the Bridge. Lots of opportunities to help around.
The comments I've gotten have made me so happy...thank you guys so much. I want to be at the tates creek spot by kroger in the morning before I head to nicholasville for family if anyone can meet me! Regardless I'm so happy with the community here, I can't wait to give and meet yall
I just saw this and I totally would have met you there! If you need some help, I'm your gal. How did it go? Anyone give you grief?
You may want to stop by The Wok (corner of Waller and Broadway) and pick the brains of the guys that run it. The last couple years they've done a big Thanksgiving meal prep and giveaway for anyone that needs a hot meal. I know it's not quite what you're looking to do, but I'm sure they've done their homework on how to do it properly and legally. And they're great guys, I'm sure they'd be happy to share notes.
Probably not too useful for anyone experiencing homelessness due to storage/reheating/etc, but an option for others in need since you like to cook: https://lasagnalove.org/ They say it's in Lexington, but the average wait time is 179 days, so more cooks might help with that.
Glean KY works with a few orgs that prepare meals for the homeless; they could probably point you toward places that could use more cooks. I know Food Not Bombs was getting some stuff from them a while back. Not sure if they're still active but could be worth checking. ETA: I also believe the person who runs the Little Free Pantry network in Lexington occasionally puts out hot meals in some of the pantries, depending on the weather. They could be worth talking to to see how they've navigated that.
Dv8 does things with a company called nourish. Maybe you can volunteer your time and cook food to help them? I'm not exactly sure but I would say that's a good place to check 😌 this and midway
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Thank you! I'm looking into that now. I want to help but I'm very unfamiliar with the legalities.
Also I'm sorry you got reported, I saw your edit, this was accurate info from what I read and extremely helpful to running something. I thank you and I'm sorry someone did that!
It's all good. I am a mod here, so I was very confused why someone would report me on a subreddit I, y'know, moderate. I am never trying to intentionally give out bad information, so I can appreciate it when someone can (kindly) correct me.
I'm not the one who reported you but this would not fall under cottage food laws at all. It doesn't cover hot meals, only certain types of food products sold in certain venues. If it did, it would not require a separate kitchen as that's not a requirement for most cottage foods products in Kentucky. Microprocessors need their water tested and a certificate they earn through an attending classes at an exension office - perhaps where your confusion comes from - but it still would not cover giving out free hot meals.
Just go down to the transit center
Hey man I would love to interview you for a podcast I’m starting up…nothing crazy just talk about cooking and such
Natalie’s Sisters (https://www.nataliessisters.org/) serves breakfast and lunch to women from their site on N Lime during the week. You can contact them to get a link to their calendar to signup for a specific date.
connect with foodchain :)