“It’s an evening that gives your purse a purpose. What we want is a room full of excited shoppers!” says Knoxville-Knox County CAC Mobile Meals Program Manager Sara Keel, MPH. For a decade, Power of the Purse® has built in retail therapy, a purse extravaganza, and gal pal bonding into a fun fund-raising evening that supports the vital work of feeding homebound seniors in virtually every Knox County neighborhood under the CAC Mobile Meals program.
The annual event checks all the boxes. A sale room with nearly a thousand purses merchandised for every occasion; tables full of sparkling jewelry and unique accessories; must-have gifts, services, and experiences at silent auction prices; yummy food and beverages; a fashion show; and last, but not least, vying with 500 shopping buddies for the thrill of the I-got-such-a-great-deal! What’s not to love?
Power of the Purse 2025 kicks off Thursday, September 18 at 4:45 p.m. at Rothchild Catering and Event Center in West Knoxville. Guests can enjoy a beverage, shop the Penny Bandy Jewelry Corner, and bid on silent auction items. But the big buzz in the room builds as guests line up outside the Purse Madness Sale Room which opens to shoppers promptly at 6:00 p.m. And the rush for deals begins.
“We’re very excited this year about how the Purse Madness Sale Room is merchandised with nearly 1,000 donated purses (some gently used, some brand new).” Designer bags, evening bags, department store brand favorites, seasonal bags, vintage and classic clutches, shoulder and cross-body bags, backpacks, utility bags, totes – the sale promises purses for every purpose and style preference at all price points. “Everything is priced to sell that night so people can purchase exactly what they are looking for,” Sara says. (Or, maybe suddenly see and can’t live without!) Guests can continue to shop throughout the evening’s activities.
Power of the Purse has a loyal band of community supporters. “We have a great relationship with Rothchild Catering. They are always wonderful to work with and prepare such delicious food for our sit-down dinner,” Sara says. “Our media sponsor is WATE and our emcee is their news anchor Lori Tucker, who is a longtime friend of the event. At 7 p.m., J. Jill from The Pinnacle in Turkey Creek will present a fashion show with volunteers in our community as the models,” she adds. The popular women’s store will showcase new styles for fall accessorized with bags from Knoxville-based designer brand, Patricia Nash Designs.
The evening’s silent auction is an opportunity for local community and business leaders to show their support. “We have amazing products, services and experiences donated for the silent auction to appeal to a wide range of interests for our shoppers or as gifts for spouses, family and friends.” Sports tickets (such as the Smokies and UT sporting events), items for kids, luxury spa treatments (one gift is 50 units of BOTOX®), and show and concert tickets, are just a few of the many valuable items to bid on. The VIP (Very Important Purse) Auction features higher end purses donated by local celebrities and politicians in a separate part of the silent auction.
Ticket sales for the event are limited to the first 500 shoppers. Individual tickets are $40. Or groups and organizations can purchase a table of 10 for $375. Even with single tickets, the purchaser can request which table you want and who you sit by.
“We try to keep ticket prices for dinner and access to the event’s night of fun, food and fabulous shopping relatively low. We want people to feel comfortable shopping and bidding in the silent auction to get the deals they want,” Sara explains.
“Power of the Purse is our signature event for Mobile Meals. It’s the only event we do to benefit it every year. It brings everyone together in the room to think and talk about what seniors are going through in our community,” Sara says. “It’s a powerful community-led event that supports a very vulnerable population, homebound senior citizens in our own neighborhoods across the county.”
Mobile Meals provides not just nutritious meals, but also safety and social checks and companionship to homebound seniors five days a week. The program served almost 2,000 unique seniors in 2024, with around 1,100 served on any given weekday in routes that go down almost every zip code in Knox County. They’ve also passed the milestone of having served their 10th million meal.
“All proceeds go toward providing meals and what we are finding is that the need is growing every day.” Sara explains Knox County planning came out with a report that revealed the senior population is growing at twice the rate of the entire population of Knox County. “The reason why we love this event is it allows us to generate that extra support we need from the community so we can add on seniors quickly at the point they really need it. We have no waitlist – something we are very proud of.”
The goal is to help seniors lead healthy lives in their own homes. Current stats bear out that Mobile Meals is able to provide over two years of weekday meals for the same cost as one day in a hospital or a week and a half in assisted living. Money that goes toward the meals and the daily check-in goes a long way.
“During the in-person visit, our volunteers have eyes on that senior every day which helps prevent bigger issues to catch when things go wrong. We can address problems before they threaten their safety, health, or housing and enable us to be proactive in helping ensure seniors can stay in their homes.” Mobile Meals is under Knoxville-Knox County CAC Nutrition Services and works closely with the Office on Aging, referring clients to them for their many programs and resources for seniors.
Volunteers have an app that gives them a reporting option while delivering if they see something concerning. “Our volunteers are our eyes and ears on the ground. We have a social worker in our office who goes through all the concerns our volunteers report back. Over the last year she worked on 1500 issues our volunteers brought to her attention.”
Mobile Meals serves Knox County residents who are at least age 60, are homebound, and cannot prepare their own food, or have no one to prepare food for them during the day. Sara urges if you know someone who can benefit, they can call to sign up. “We send out someone immediately to assess their needs, register them, and once signed up, clients are on the list as long as they need services and meet the requirements.”
During the Power of the Purse evening, Sara and her staff share information on the need for volunteering. “It takes around 100 volunteers every weekday to service all our seniors and our working core is at least 2000 active volunteers.” People volunteer from churches and other community groups, college students, retirees, even families and groups of friends who want to volunteer together.
There is an ongoing need for volunteers. Knoxseniors.org has an online application for volunteers and the staff is very responsive once someone reaches out for information. It only takes two hours out of a day to volunteer and there are opportunities and places all over town to serve every weekday, especially in more rural areas. “In some cases, we can put you to volunteer in your own neighborhood!” Sara says.
Power of the Purse helps offset much of this growing need in the senior community to be able to fully meet it. Meet up with your BFFs September 18 for some power shopping to improve the lives of senior neighbors throughout Knox County.
For tickets visit KnoxSeniors.org Follow on Facebook and Instagram @KnoxCountyMobileMeals