Volunteer Ministry Center’s Carry the Torch

Carry the Torch Knoxville, now in its 18th year, is Volunteer Ministry Center's premier fundraising community event to bring secular and faith-based businesses, organizations and houses of worship together over a shared commitment to help the most vulnerable citizens and prevent and end homelessness in Knoxville.  The 2026 featured speaker is renowned author and New York Times best-seller Jeannette Walls. A former journalist for New York Magazine and MSNBC, her memoir, "The Glass Castle," shares Walls' story of an unconventional childhood, which included a nomadic family life marked by poverty and homelessness, as she emphasizes the importance of truth-telling and empathy.

Carry the Torch features a mission fair starting at 10 a.m. with agencies that provide housing, general assistance and medical and behavioral health services throughout the community. The luncheon starts at 11:45 a.m., with a book signing from 1-2 p.m.