LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- As investigators continue combing through the wreckage of last week’s deadly UPS plane crash, volunteers from a local organization are making sure first responders are fed.
For several days, The Lord’s Kitchen has been set up near the crash site at Grade Lane and Outer Loop, serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner to the men and women working long hours on the recovery and investigation effort.
“We’ve been out here since Wednesday evening, and we’ve been serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” said Joni Votaw with The Lord’s Kitchen. “The first several days we served around 300 to 350 meals daily to first responders, NTSB and FBI investigators, and the UPS crew.”
Founded in 1988, The Lord’s Kitchen is known for feeding the community and providing disaster relief in times of crisis. Votaw said her team will continue to serve meals as long as crews remain on scene.
“We told them we would be out here as long as they were,” she said. “So, we’ll be out here every day until they’re finished with their investigation.”
Louisville Metro Police are maintaining 24-hour security and traffic control around the crash site, which remains off limits to the public.
“The area where the plane crashed sits between our sixth and seventh divisions,” said Matthew Sanders, an LMPD spokesperson. “Right now, we’re staffing several traffic and security points 24/7.”
Grade Lane remains closed indefinitely between the Outer Loop and Crittenden Drive as crews continue working in what police describe as a large debris field contaminated by oil and aircraft materials.
“It’s a big debris field,” Sanders said. “There’s still oil on Grade Lane. The area is not safe for vehicles.”
The closure has left dozens of nearby businesses inaccessible.
“There are several businesses impacted east of the crash site,” Sanders said. “We have people that come up to our checkpoints every day wanting to get to their businesses, and we’re working on a plan for that to happen.”
Among them is Jason Dickerson, who’s hoping to recover personal items from his daughter’s car stranded in a nearby parking lot.
“My daughter has some stuff that’s within her vehicle where she works,” Dickerson said. “Her ID, which she needs to travel, so we’re just down here trying to gather some things she’s going to need.”
Police say cleanup and recovery could take at least another week. Until then, The Lord’s Kitchen plans to keep its mobile kitchen open — serving food, comfort, and community to those working around the clock.
More Coverage:
Louisville mayor says all missing victims of UPS plane crash have been found
Former colleagues pay tributes to pilots killed in UPS cargo plane crash in Kentucky
'Repeating bell' sounded in cockpit for 25 seconds before UPS crash in Louisville, NTSB says
Lawsuit accuses UPS, General Electric and Boeing of negligence in fatal plane crash in Louisville
New aerial video shows charred path of UPS plane that crashed in Louisville
FAA records reveal crashed UPS cargo plane once had cracks, corrosion on fuel tank
'It was intense' | Aerial footage shows scale of UPS plane crash site in Louisville
NTSB says an engine fell off UPS plane before deadly Louisville crash
Copyright 2025 WDRB Media. All rights reserved.
