ABOUT US

On October 3, 1998 Moveable Feast Lexington (MFL) began delivering hot nutritious meals daily to people living with HIV disease in Lexington/Fayette County Kentucky - all completely free of charge. Since then MFL has delivered over 200,000 dinners, nearly 50,000 lunches and more than 50,000 bags of groceries.

Origins

The idea for Moveable Feast Lexington was born earlier in 1998 after a destitute artist with AIDS starved to death just a few blocks from City Hall. The late Michael Thompson, a well-known AIDS activist, and Carol Farmer began taking leftover food from local restaurants to people who needed it. Eventually they enlisted the help of the Episcopal Aids Ministry to raise money and remodeled the St. Augustine Chapel on UK’s campus. This became MFL’s first official kitchen. In 2005, the organization moved to a larger facility in St. Martha’s Episcopal Church on Lexington’s south side.

In April of 2008 Moveable Feast began the process of finding a more permanent home. After searching in downtown Lexington they settled on a fixer upper on the corner of 5th street and Silver Maple Way that was once Nanny’s Soul Food, a favorite local restaurant before it closed.  Built in 1890’s as a grocery store Moveable Feast’s new kitchen was gutted and 100 years of trash and construction debris was hauled away. With the help of  local sub-contractors, volunteers, staff and board members the little building was converted to a full working kitchen and the offices of the Executive Director. Moveable Feast has a home of it’s own for the first time in 12 years of service to Lexington!

MFL is a 501c3 non-profit that gets 40% of its funding from public and private grants. The other 60% of its budget comes from private donations and fundraisers. Instead of focusing on one or two big fundraisers a year, the organization devotes its resources to smaller, less costly fundraisers throughout the year. Fundraisers like The Belmont BBQ, Cause For Pie and Empty Bowls continue to not only raise money but also educate the community about MFL.

A Unique Service

While similar programs in other cities assign clients a Care Coordinator and give coupons for groceries, for some people, that’s not enough. They need their meals prepared and delivered. MFL provides a unique service that is making a difference. Using all volunteer drivers, MFL delivers throughout the Lexington/Fayette County Kentucky area, serving meals to people living with HIV/AIDS as well as individuals who are patients of Hospice of the Bluegrass, their caregivers and any dependents living in the home.

MFL clients receive individual nutritional attention. Menus are modified to address specific needs related to pharmaceutical side effects including diarrhea, diabetes, heart problems, renal problems and gluten intolerance. MFL clients benefit from the daily visit of a caring and concerned volunteer resulting in an overall better quality of life. Individuals are served without regard to race, sexual orientation, religion, political affiliation, or national origin. MFL is a recipient of the Gay & Lesbian Services Organization’s Rainbow Community Service Award.

Meeting A Need

Lexington/Fayette County Kentucky has the second highest incidence of HIV/AIDS in the state, second only to Louisville/Jefferson County. The Care Coordinator program at The University of Kentucky Bluegrass Care Clinic currently lists 465 active clients receiving case management. As in most jurisdictions, HIV disproportionately affects the communities of color in Lexington. While African Americans comprise only 13% of the total population, they make up 36% of known AIDS cases.

The needs of an exploding Hispanic presence are currently being assessed but it is estimated that MFL will see a substantial increase in Hispanic clients in the coming months and years. 92% of current MFL clients are over the age of 30 and 42% are between 40-49. Recent testing data suggests that the median age of persons living with HIV disease (PLWH) locally will be increasingly younger.