All Knoxvillians with an appetite for community improvement are invited to the 1st Knoxville SOUP of 2017 on April 27, 2017. The dinner will be held from 6:00 to about 8:30 p.m. at Dara’s Garden, 2637 Maryville Pike (in South Knoxville).

SOUP is an exciting community-focused project sponsored by the South Knoxville Alliance (SKA) and is open to the public. It is a combination of a dinner and a showcase of proposals for community-based projects from which attendees will choose the winner.

Four exciting proposals were selected to present for this dinner:

  1. Marble Springs State Historic Site Educational School Tour Project: Provide funds for supplies that will expand the school tour experience at Marble Springs State Historic Site, home of the first governor of Tennessee, John Sevier.
  2. South Doyle Middle School ReZoning the Library: Create ‘zones’ in the library that will energize and fuel student learning in the school.
  3. Central Cinema: Develop a single-screen “neighborhood theater” movie house specializing in classic films, cult favorites and special events.
  4. Permaculture Garden Upgrade: Committed to enlarging the community garden areas at the Sustainable Future Center.

For a suggested donation of $5, attendees receive a dinner of soup, salad, dessert, AND a vote. This dinner isn’t just about the food. It’s about the opportunity to connect with the community, share ideas and bring about some sort of change or improvement.

After the presentations, dinner is served and guests have time to dine, digest and discuss the various projects. Then they cast a ballot for the project they like best. Toward the end of the evening, the ballots are counted and the winning project is awarded 100 percent of the funds raised at the door that evening. Winners are invited back to subsequent dinners to report on their progress and success.

For more information about Knoxville Soup, visit KnoxvilleSOUP.org or email contact@KnoxvilleSOUP.org.