[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 27 (Friday, February 18, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E264-E265]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           HONORING TWIN SISTERS HELEN ASHE AND ELLEN TURNER

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. JOHN J. DUNCAN, JR.

                              of tennessee

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 17, 2011

  Mr. DUNCAN of Tennessee. Mr. Speaker, I wish today to honor two of 
the most beloved people in my District.
  Twin sisters Helen Ashe and Ellen Turner have been serving the 
homeless and winning over hearts in the City of Knoxville since they 
founded the Love Kitchen in 1986.
  The Love Kitchen served just 22 meals the day it opened, but 25 years 
later, it now serves more than 2,000 meals each week to the homeless 
and homebound.
  I have known Helen and Ellen for many years, and they are the 
kindest, most gracious and selfless people I know.
  They live their life by the Love Kitchen's slogan: ``Everybody is 
God's Somebody.''
  Over the years, their hard work and devotion to the less fortunate 
stoked the volunteer spirit of one of this Nation's great cities and 
turned the pair into local celebrities.
  As the holidays near, it has become tradition to see Helen and Ellen 
on local television pleading for help so that no one in need is turned 
away. And the good people of East Tennessee always deliver, donating 
supplies and offering volunteers in droves.
  In fact, a few years ago my wife Lynn volunteered at the Love 
Kitchen, and she will never forget the experience.
  Helen and Ellen always exercise a remarkable humility, redirecting 
any deserved attention showered on them back to the Love Kitchen and 
those it serves.
  Today, they were guests on The Oprah Winfrey Show, and I am so 
thrilled and thankful that Ms. Winfrey took notice of these 
extraordinary sisters. Now, millions more outside of Tennessee have 
been touched and hopefully moved to similar community service by their 
story.
  Reflecting on her upbringing as the daughter of a share cropper, 
Helen told the Knoxville News Sentinel in 2008, ``The three truths 
daddy taught us were: There is but one Father, and that is the Father 
in heaven. There is but one race, and that is the human race, and he 
taught us not to take the last piece of bread from the table, because 
somebody may come by that is hungry.''
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my Colleagues and other readers of the Record to 
join me in recognizing Helen Ashe and Ellen Turner for their 
compassionate, life-long devotion to community service and unwavering 
faith in God.
  On the occasion of their appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, I 
request that the Knoxville News Sentinel article celebrating their 
service to Knoxville be reprinted in the Record below.

           [From the Knoxville News Sentinel, Dec. 31, 2008]

      Drinnen: ``Everybody Is God's Somebody'' at The Love Kitchen

                           (By Beth Drinnen)

       ``Everybody is God's Somebody.'' That's the slogan at The 
     Love Kitchen in East Knoxville, and from the moment you walk 
     in the building, you start to feel it. Complete strangers 
     greeted me with smiles and a couple of ``good morning, 
     honey's,'' as I was wrapped in warm, welcoming hugs by both 
     Helen Ashe and her twin sister, Ellen Turner, founders of The 
     Love Kitchen.
       Helen and Ellen were born in Abbeville, S.C. Their parents 
     were share croppers. ``We've been working since we were 8 
     years old,'' said Helen proudly. ``My sister and I used to 
     wash dishes for a contractor. He built a little step so that 
     we could reach the sink easier. We made 50 cents a week,'' 
     she said as she looked at Ellen and smiled.
       The sisters moved to Knoxville in 1946 when they were 18 
     years old. ``That's what our parents gave us as a graduation 
     gift,'' said Ellen. ``Our parents saved up a little bit of 
     money and we were to choose where we wanted to live.'' They 
     chose Knoxville because their favorite aunt, one of their 
     father's sisters, Eva Icem, lived here.
       ``The three truths that my Daddy taught us were: There is 
     but one Father, and that is the Father in Heaven. There is 
     but one race, and that is the human race, and he taught us 
     not to take the last piece of bread from the table, because 
     somebody may come by that is hungry,'' said Helen.
       People going hungry had always weighed on Helen's mind. 
     ``Every single day I would tell Ellen, `One day, I'm going to 
     do something about it.' '' Ellen nodded her head.
       ``One night,'' Helen began, ``I had a dream . . .''
       Ellen quickly interrupted. ``No, you let me tell that,'' 
     she said, her eyes shining. ``We

[[Page E265]]

     got a phone call early one morning,'' Ellen continued, ``And 
     my husband and I were still in bed. He said, `Honey, Helen's 
     on the phone and I can't understand a word she's saying.' I 
     got on the phone and it was Helen, and honey, she was just 
     babbling away. I said `Honey, is Al okay?' Al was her 
     husband, and I thought he was dead the way she was carrying 
     on. I said, `Helen, calm down.' And she said, `Sis, I had an 
     encounter with God last night. And I'm going to have that 
     feeding program; I'm going to have a place where people can 
     come and get something to eat.' ''
       Ellen looked proudly at her sister. ``And she does,'' she 
     grinned.
       The Love Kitchen first opened its doors in 1986 in the 
     basement of a local church. They eventually moved out of that 
     space and into several more before moving into their current 
     location at 2418 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., in 1994.
       The bulk of their ministry involves delivering food to 
     homebound people. The Love Kitchen delivers food each 
     Thursday to approximately 2,200 homes. In addition to the 
     meals they deliver, The Love Kitchen serves breakfast on 
     Wednesday and lunch on Thursday to approximately 40 to 110 
     people each day. Wednesday afternoons are dedicated to 
     handing out anywhere from 60 to 150 food bags to the homeless 
     or needy in the community. The bags usually contain enough 
     food to last the recipients a week. They also hand out 
     hygiene bags to new patrons at the Kitchen, and recently 
     handed out approximately 300 blankets to the homeless.
       If Helen and Ellen are the heart of The Love Kitchen, the 
     volunteers are the lifeblood. Most begin volunteering because 
     they want to help the less fortunate, but wind up staying 
     because they love Helen and Ellen so much. The University of 
     Tennessee's chapter of Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity has been 
     sending volunteers to help pack food bags for the past 
     fifteen years. ``It's good to come here and . . . do 
     something nice for someone less fortunate,'' said volunteer 
     and Phi Gamma Delta Tyler Bowland.
       ``I like to come to see Helen and Ellen,'' said volunteer 
     and Phi Gamma Delta Matt Baumgartner, then he laughed. 
     ``Seeing what they do here everyday, I think it's a good 
     thing to come and help her out!'' He smiled, ``They have been 
     a blessing to a lot of people.''

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