Wichita area real-estate companies compete to raise turkeys and hams for the hungry
Wichita real estate companies are engaged in a unique competition, with the winner being Wichita’s hungry.
Brant Dumford, director of investment real estate at SNC Group, started the initiative that aims to raise 500 turkeys or hams for the Kansas Food Bank to distribute during the holiday season. The goal is for the four competing companies — SNC Group, NAI Martens Commercial Real Estate, J.P. Weigand & Sons and John T. Arnold Associates Commercial Real Estate — to raise $10,000 in $20 increments. Each increment pays for a ham or turkey and $10,000 making it to the goal of 500 turkeys or hams. Whatever company raises the most money will have a full-page ad in the Wichita Business Journal, paid for by the losers.
Dumford estimated the ad has a value of $700 to $750.
“We want to win, but it’s definitely about … raising the most amount of turkeys and hams possible,” he said. “It’s the holiday season. I think it is very, very impactful to be able to have something special.”
The timing for the virtual campaign, which started Friday and goes until Dec. 21, comes as the Kansas Food Bank is seeing an increased demand. Food purchases are up 216% from March through November compared to last year, according to KFB Community Relations Manager Debi Kreutzman.
“The pandemic is the major factor in the increased need,” Kreutzman said in an email. “Our community, state and nation have seen large numbers of unemployment due to layoffs, furloughs and business closures.”
Dumford’s philanthropic endeavors first started with a Christmas food drive during his sophomore year at East High School. He said it was a success, raising enough meals for 2,100 families.
The 34-year-old said he hopes the event will become an annual competition with more real-estate companies joining in.
Dumford is the representative for the SNC Group in the virtual campaign available on the KFB website — Jonathan Weigand represents J.P. Weigand & Sons, Stephanie Wise is the representative for John T. Arnold Associates and Nathan Farha will be the face for NAI Martens’ campaign.
To donate to the campaign, go to secure.qgiv.com/for/kfb/event/824231/.
Anyone needing assistance can call the food bank at 316-265-3663 or visit kansasfoodbank.org and click on the plate above “Need Food” at the top of the page. Following that link to see a list of food resources in the area.
Thirteen percent of people in Sedgwick County had food insecurity in 2018, the latest year available, according to nonprofit Feeding America. It was 12.7% in the state and 11.5% nationwide that year.
Food insecurity is the “lack of access, at times, to enough food for an active, healthy life for all household members and limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate foods,” according to Feeding America.