Local kitchen is 'cooking with love' and emerging as the Red Cross Emergency Center for Marshall County, Kentucky

Written by Liz Latta

Marcella's Kitchen's mission statement: Founded on unity, love, and acceptance. Marcella's Kitchen exists to unite a community of believers to be Christ's hand extended by loving and providing meals for those in need.

Marcella's Kitchen in Benton, Kentucky is a community kitchen that serves thousands of meals every month to those in need. After relocating the nonprofit organization to 868 Guy Mathis Drive, they've added another 'community program' to it's resume' namely, the official Red Cross Emergency Center for Marshall County.

The founder of Marcella's Kitchen, Marcella Perkins said the organization received money from the Marshall County Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster and the Carson-Myre Charitable Foundation. With the funds, Marcella's Kitchen bought a generator that can hold 325 gallons of diesel fuel and power which will operate the facility for approximately a week in case of emergencies.

Not only does the generator help Marcella's Kitchen become the new Red Cross Emergency Center but so does the new building. One side of the room could be used to set up cots while the other remains the kitchen and dining area. Emergency preparedness could be anything from a natural disaster to a an apartment fire.

Some volunteers for the community kitchen will have special training with the Red Cross next year. There will be a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, October 22, 2020 to inaugurate the new facilities' opportunity.

Since the pandemic, the nonprofit has more than tripled the number of meals served each month. Two years ago, they served 1,600 meals a month. Now it's closer to 5,000.

Meals served include home-bound deliveries and students at the Marshall County Exceptional Center. Deliveries have almost increased ten-fold. The community kitchen will continue on with their role as a kitchen feeding those in need and will add  the new emergency center responsibilities.

Since the shuttering of businesses in March, Marcella's Kitchen closed in-person dining. Instead, the community receives prepared meals through a drive-thru service at the front entrance for meal pickup. They are open Monday through Friday 11 am to 1 pm.

If you would like to donate or volunteer for the community kitchen, reach out to Marcella's Kitchen through their Facebook page.