Earlier this month, we hosted our first-ever Impact and Inspire Donor Social, bringing together some of our most dedicated supporters for an inside look at the transformational work they help make possible. Held at Real Good Kitchen (RGK), the event showcased how United Way of Greater Knoxville’s (UWGK) partnerships are not just funding programs but creating real social and economic opportunities for our community.
RGK, a commercial kitchen and food business incubator, provides space, equipment, technical assistance, and training for aspiring food entrepreneurs. Our partnership began with a donor-funded survey aimed at better understanding food insecurity in underserved Knox County neighborhoods. The findings were eye-opening: many community members want to be part of the solution by starting their own food businesses, but they need support to succeed.
Through our Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI), we’ve helped RGK expand its capacity to empower these local entrepreneurs and build a food system that addresses access and opportunity.
Guests at the event saw firsthand this work in action. They learned about the program’s impact, and heard directly from Amin Islam, a member in RGK’s first incubator cohort. He shared how the program helped him refine his audience for his Hot Chicken business, shifting his marketing strategy after discovering that his biggest fans were in their 20s rather than the 30s-50s demographic he initially expected. Insights like these have accelerated his business growth in ways that would have taken years to figure out alone.
And it all started with one donor saying – yes.
Their gift funded the initial survey that helped us understand the root causes of food insecurity and the solutions our neighbors were already imagining. That insight became the foundation for our partnership with RGK and led to targeted investments through HFFI. Because of that first step, that initial yes – we’ve now secured $1M in grant funding to help local food entrepreneurs expand access to healthy, affordable food across Knox County. “It’s amazing the impact one donor can have,” shared UWGK’s Vice President of Advancement, Ellie Kittrell. “We’re excited to continue hosting these Impact and Inspire events to give donors a front-row seat to how their support fuels real change. When people see the work firsthand, the connection clicks and they see the true, lasting impact of their gift.”
One donor shared the importance of these Impact and Inspire events, stating, “Attending these events and connecting firsthand with this work—I finally fully understand what United Way does.”
A huge thank you to Real Good Kitchen, our Healthy Communities team, and our incredible donors for making this work possible! If you’d like to be part of the impact and join us for these inspiring events, learn more about becoming a UWGK donor today.
