Mayor Madeline Rogero, Mayor Tim Burchett, State Senator Becky Duncan-Massey, Executive Director of CAC Barbara Kelly, Director of CAC Office on Aging Barbara Monty and other local leaders helped cut a ribbon today to officially reopen the Mobile Meals Kitchen at 1747 Reynolds Street.

The Mobile Meals kitchen has been closed since July 14, 2011 when the ceiling and roof of the Mobile Meals kitchen collapsed from apparent storm damage from a tornado in the area on June 24, 2011.

Larry Martin, who at the time was the City of Knoxville's Deputy to the Mayor, arranged for the Mobile Meals Kitchen to move to the Knoxville Convention Center. Mobile Meals stayed at the Convention Center until October 2011. Next they moved to the old Exhibition and Conference Center under the Holiday Inn.

Mobile Meals continued creating meals there until repairs were finished this year thanks to authorized funds by Mayor Tim Burchett to undertake the repairs of the building. There had been a hold up on the repairs due to the insurance company who would not accept that the damage was storm related. PBA was responsible for implementing the repair.

For over a year, even without a kitchen to call home, the Mobile Meals kitchen staff and the Senior Nutrition staff and the Mobile Meals volunteers worked through incredibly difficult circumstances to prepare and deliver every meal.

The Mobile Meals program serves noon meals, five days a week and holidays, to Knoxville and Knox County citizens who are at least 60 years old, who cannot cook for themselves and have no one to prepare meals for them.

Mobile Meals Program Mobile Meals is able to provide meals with the help of the Knox County government, the City of Knoxville, grants and donations.

Call 865-524-2786 or visit www.knoxseniors.org/mobile.html for more information about the Mobile Meals program.