Volunteers at Marcella’s Kitchen hosted the community kitchen’s annual Christmas party and meal Thursday, Dec. 21 at the Draffenville Community Center. More than 200 visitors attended the event, which included a full meal and birthday cake for Jesus, as well as a grocery giveaway for any who needed.
Marcella’s Kitchen has been in operation in the county since 2011 and in that time has served more than 100,000 meals since the kitchen’s inception. Volunteers prepare and serve free meals from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday through Thursday at the center in hopes of providing a meal for those in need.
Marcella Perkins, kitchen founder, volunteers and Marcella’s Kitchen board members in August closed on a new facility in the former Stilley Professional Building on George McClain Drive in Benton to house operations. The group held a ribbon-cutting ceremony in September and began renovations on the building to convert it into a commercial kitchen and dining hall. Renovations were expected to take about a year to complete.
Volunteers hope that moving to a more centralized location in the county will allow them to reach more residents who need services the nonprofit group provides.
For more information on Marcella’s Kitchen, find the nonprofit on Facebook.
