Submitted
Battle of the Businesses 2023 went from June 5th to June 16th to fill the food pantry at First Call for Help,607 E. 13th, Hays.
Each business oversaw promoting themselves any way they chose. They could post on social medias, do radio advertisements, and some even did promotional deals.
The top overall contributor was Simply Charmed of downtown Hays, owned by Sarah Cearley-Windholz. Simply Charmed received and donated 444 non-expired/non-perishable goods. Goods were anything from canned veggies and meats to cereal or condiments. The items differed vastly which is great for our food pantry. Our pantry was VERY empty and now it’s full for the first time in years!
St. Joseph’s Church has a food pantry, in the building that was previously Kennedy Middle School, that supplies us with food boxes each month. When a family or individual comes in and needs a food box, we grab one and then we add many items from our pantry to help and fill the box in its entirety. It is a great system that we use, and we are thankful to be able to help so many out with food each month.
Battle of the Businesses 2023 brought in 1,937 donated food items!
Second place contributor was Hays Recreation Commission. The employee that headed it there was Haley Nixon. The Hays Rec donated 390 items.
Third place contributor was Early Childhood Connections. The employee that was in charge of their participation there was Michelle Dannels. Early Childhood Connections donated 236 items.
Other businesses that participated were: Cottonwood Extension District office of K-State Research and Extension, Eagle Communications, Gone Logo Screen Printing & Embroidery, Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau, Hess Services, Nex-Tech Wireless, Styles Dance Centre, and The ARC of Central Plains.
We are SO grateful for all the businesses that participated, and we hope to have even more involvement next year!