Wednesday, October 23- For the first time in their 40-year history, the Kansas Food Bank joined forces with 24 local businesses for ICT Restaurant Week 2024. The goal of the week was two-fold: celebrate the wonderful local dining scene in the Wichita area and to raise much-needed funds for the the Kansas Food Bank.
The week was focused on inclusivity, making it easy for any type of restaurant to decide how they wanted to participate. Some restaurants featured a specialty menu item that prompted a donation to the Kansas Food Bank, some restaurants invited customers to donate at the register or round-up their change to the nearest dollar, and some restaurants donated a set percentage of their sales during ICT Restaurant Week.
Throughout the week, customers were invited to visit the eateries and could use the ICT Restaurant Week digital passport to check in and earn points for each place they visited. The points each person earned could then be redeemed as entries for prizes of their choosing: Dinner for Two at FioRito Ristorante, a 1,000 point Dillons voucher, gift cards, and exclusive swag were a few of the 30+ prize options.
ICT Restaurant Week, though in its first year, brought together 24 businesses across 45 locations in the Wichita metro, over their shared passion of feeding people. Together, the week raised an incredible $41,411 for the Kansas Food Bank. At a time when 1 in 7 neighbors in Wichita are food insecure, and 1 in 5 kids are hungry, the campaign promises hope & relief for thousands.
The funds raised through ICT Restaurant Week will be used to purchase fresh mixed produce boxes to be distributed through our many of our Wichita partner pantries. Brian Walker, President & CEO of the Kansas Food Bank, says:
“ICT Restaurant Week was such a great week for Wichitans – it was so great to see the community come together to support the restaurants who support the work that we do. We estimate that the funds raised will help provide 190,500 pounds of mixed produce boxes for our food insecure neighbors in Wichita, and we couldn’t be more thankful for all who participated to make it happen.”
In addition to raising money for the Kansas Food Bank, Walker also notes the significance of awareness about hunger in Wichita. “Another really cool thing about the week is that it shared our mission with so many new folks, and really brought hunger to the conversation. We saw this through shared stories of visiting pantries growing up or needing a little extra help, and I think it’s so important for people to know that it’s okay to need help, and that’s why we’re here.”
All in all, the Kansas Food Bank would like to say, with an incredibly grateful heart, THANK YOU to all who helped make this event possible, all who went out to eat and supported us, and all who shared with your friends and family. We can do amazing things together, and ICT Restaurant Week is a perfect example of that.
Many, many thanks to the following ICT Restaurant Week 2024 Participants:
- Bakesale Treat Parlor
- Blue Hook Cajun Seafood & Bar
- Chicken N Pickle
- Dillons
- Doo-Dah Diner
- First Mile Kitchen
- Grimaldi’s
- HomeGrown Wichita
- Lima Nation Peruvian Kitchen
- Fio Rito Ristorante
- Magnolia Cafe
- Maple Street Pizza Company
- Meddys
- Mokas Coffee & Eatery
- NICHE – The Envision Bistro
- Nortons Brewing Company
- Slim Chickens
- The Depot Pizza & Taps
- The Monarch
- The Popcorner
- Twelve
- Umi Japanese Steakhouse & Sushi Bar
- Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux
- Ziggy’s Pizza
Special thanks to our event sponsors & partners:
JRI Hospitality | Mokas Coffee & Eatery | Fugate Enterprises | Intrust Bank
Murfin Media | KAKE | Bandwango | Lamar Advertising Company | Audacy | Wichita by EB
Keep an eye out in early 2025 for details about ICT Restaurant Week 2025!
For questions regarding ICT Restaurant Week, please reach out to Kate Birkhofer at the Kansas Food Bank at kbirkhofer@kansasfoodbank.org or (316) 265-3663.