How surplus World Cup food is feeding KC families
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Pete's Garden operates at Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral. Photo: Travis Meier/Axios
Kansas City families likely ate the same food served to Argentina soccer star Lionel Messi on his birthday.
Why it matters: The surplus food was recovered as part of a collaboration between FIFA and Pete's Garden, a KC nonprofit that turns food waste into meals for families in need.
The big picture: Pete's Garden is saving vast amounts of food from across the city's World Cup ecosystem, including the teams' base camps, Fan Fest and stadium concessions.
- That includes the Origin Hotel, where Argentina's national team has been staying.
What they're saying: Tamara Weber, founder and director of Pete's Garden, says they picked up food from Team Argentina the day after Messi's birthday, which he celebrated in Kansas City on June 24.
- "This was his birthday meal," she says. "I was super excited."
- Other meal distributions have included Argentine chicken dishes.
By the numbers: The nonprofit has saved 660 pounds of food from Origin Hotel alone as of last Thursday.
- A total of 7,804 pounds of food saved across the tournament include more than a ton from Kansas City Stadium — and that's before Friday's Colombia vs. Ghana match.
- Since the start of the tournament, 6,500 meals have been distributed, with a goal of 10,000 by the end.
Zoom out: That's just a fraction of the amount of food going into feeding the World Cup in Kansas City.
- Sysco, a food distributor in Kansas City, scaled up operations before the tournament, including 117,000 additional pounds of fries and 94,000 additional pounds of chicken breast across its restaurant clients (90% of the food) and the stadium (10%).
- Sysco anticipated a demand of 57,000 stadium hot dogs per match, according to a statement.
Context: Weber says she started working with the Chiefs during the pandemic, when the team couldn't train in St. Joseph and the team's chef anticipated having surplus food.
- The team and its concession vendor, Aramark, are now among the nonprofit's biggest sources of food recovery.
- Pete's Garden also works with more than two dozen other local institutions, including the KC Convention Center, the Royals, the Current, Sporting KC, Starlight Theatre and New Theatre & Restaurant.
- They distribute prepared food high in protein to food-insecure families primarily through Operation Breakthrough, along with other agencies.
What's next: Weber is developing a playbook for how other cities can implement food recovery programs after receiving a grant from the USDA in 2024 worth nearly $391,000 over three years.