Kansas City, MO. March 28, 2024 – Kanbe’s Markets is the proud recipient of a $100,000 grant from JE Dunn Construction. In honor of its Centennial celebration, JE Dunn is extending its community impact by choosing ten worthy organizations to receive a gift of $100,000 to further their important work. This community impact campaign, Building a Legacy: A Century of Generosity, will be honoring nonprofit organizations from across the country through monthly awards throughout 2024. Kanbe’s Markets received this grant on Wednesday, March 27 in a surprise ceremony.
Kanbe’s Markets is a local Kansas City organization that is working to build a more inclusive food system by transforming food loss into food access. In their work, they leverage a community of volunteers to divert perfectly good, edible fruits and vegetables from going to landfills and delivers it to a network of over 55 store locations in USDA “low food access” neighborhoods in Kansas City, as well as an expansive network of non-profit, hunger relief partners to feed those in greatest need, immediately and for free. Through these efforts, over 120,000 low access residents have fruits and vegetables inside their neighborhoods, and over 200,000 meals are given away through food banks and pantries for free, annually. The Building a Legacy grant will help overhaul the community center at the heart of their volunteer experience. In 2023, Kanbe’s successfully rescued 550,000 pounds of food. With the transformation of this space, they anticipate exceeding 1 million pounds, translating to 2 million servings of fruits and vegetables freely distributed into the Kansas City community.
“For our work to be recognized and supported by JE Dunn Construction, such a successful and respected company, is an immense honor,” said Maxfield Kaniger, Founder and CEO of Kanbe’s Markets. “We are proud to hold many of the same values as JE Dunn, especially our shared commitment to innovation, sustainability and community. This generous grant will finally equip us with a space on our campus where our volunteers, who make our food rescue happen, can learn about our efforts, feel welcomed and appreciated, and ultimately, grow an even deeper commitment to building a better food system for our community.”
JE Dunn employees nominated and voted on a variety of nonprofit organizations nationwide to select the final 10 recipients.
“We are so proud to engage with more than 1,000 nonprofits across the country every year,” said JE Dunn Community Impact Director Nancy Phelps. “Having the opportunity to celebrate and further the mission of the 10 Centennial grant recipients our employees selected is an absolute honor and gift…including one right here in our hometown! What better way to celebrate 100 years of making an impact?”
