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How surplus World Cup food is feeding KC families

Families likely ate the same food served to Lionel Messi on his birthday.

News

Kansas City families likely ate the same food served to Argentina soccer star Lionel Messi on his <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="birthday" data-vars-click-url="https://www.komu.com/fifa_world_cup_2026/lionel-messi-celebrates-his-39th-birthday-in-kansas-city-during-a-joyful-world-cup/article_973846c7-3143-5cd1-b293-a86f15744f0b.html" data-vars-content-id="116ad0e8-8575-4e0c-ad7d-cb564afc44a7" data-vars-headline="How surplus World Cup food is feeding KC families" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.komu.com/fifa_world_cup_2026/lionel-messi-celebrates-his-39th-birthday-in-kansas-city-during-a-joyful-world-cup/article_973846c7-3143-5cd1-b293-a86f15744f0b.html" target="_blank">birthday</a>.Why it matters: The surplus food was recovered as part of a collaboration between FIFA and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Pete&#x27;s Garden" data-vars-click-url="https://www.petesgarden.org/" data-vars-content-id="116ad0e8-8575-4e0c-ad7d-cb564afc44a7" data-vars-headline="How surplus World Cup food is feeding KC families" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.petesgarden.org/" target="_blank">Pete&#x27;s Garden</a>, a KC nonprofit that turns food waste into meals for families in need.

The kratom crackdown splits KC at the state line

Kratom and 7-OH became felonies to possess in Kansas on July 1. Across the state line, they're still legal, even as cities pass their own bans.

A product local leaders and law enforcement <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="call" data-vars-click-url="https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/investigations/drug-regulation/kansas-city-missouri-city-council-adopts-regulations-on-7-oh-kratom" data-vars-content-id="2ac406ed-9813-4186-929b-ff8d634bd406" data-vars-headline="The kratom crackdown splits KC at the state line" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.kshb.com/news/local-news/investigations/drug-regulation/kansas-city-missouri-city-council-adopts-regulations-on-7-oh-kratom" target="_blank">call</a> &quot;gas station heroin&quot; is now illegal in Kansas — and the federal government may soon make it illegal nationwide.Why it matters: Possessing kratom or its derivative, 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), became a felony in Kansas on July 1, splitting the rules in a metro that&#x27;s home to the Midwest&#x27;s largest 7-OH producer.

Boomers own KC's family-size homes

Empty nesters own nearly 28% of Kansas City homes with three-plus bedrooms while millennial parents own about 19%, per Redfin. The good news: KC's young families still fare better than almost anywhere else in the country.

Empty nesters are sitting on Kansas City&#x27;s family-size homes.Why it matters: The people who have the space aren&#x27;t necessarily the ones who need it — and that&#x27;s making a tight <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="housing market" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/01/mortgage-rates-home-prices-predictions-2026" data-vars-content-id="568d03eb-e433-4c4a-ac6b-14196ee149f1" data-vars-headline="Boomers own KC&#x27;s family-size homes" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/01/01/mortgage-rates-home-prices-predictions-2026" target="_self">housing market</a> even tighter.

Your 2026 primary election guide

Missouri votes on phasing out its income tax and Jackson County's assessor. Kansas picks candidates for an open governor's seat and decides how its Supreme Court justices get chosen. Here's your guide before Aug. 4.

Election

Your paycheck, your property taxes and your courts are all on the line in the Aug. 4 primary election. Here&#x27;s what to know before you head to the voting booth.Why it matters: Primaries draw a fraction of November&#x27;s turnout, and the voters who show up decide these questions for everyone.

Local clothing designers are repping soccer swag

Colorful kits, U.S. Soccer collabs and collections of shirts, scarves and hats festoon KC.

Business

Local clothing designers are creating World Cup-inspired apparel meant to meet the moment with colorful kits, U.S. Soccer collabs and collections of scarves and hats.Why it matters: These aren&#x27;t just T-shirts — they&#x27;re memories and souvenirs from a once-in-a-generation event that&#x27;s happening in Kansas City. That&#x27;s why people are buying them and why designers have spent years preparing for this moment.

Dutch march in KC was the biggest in the country

Crowds hopped to "Links Rechts" and unleashed orange smoke and confetti.

The biggest Dutch march in the U.S. to date took place in Kansas City on Thursday.The big picture: The Power and Light District <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="says" data-vars-click-url="https://www.instagram.com/p/DaBHvRFjrJS/?img_index=1" data-vars-content-id="213ee287-09ed-496e-9167-1dcd214228de" data-vars-headline="Dutch march in KC was the biggest in the country" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DaBHvRFjrJS/?img_index=1" target="_blank">says</a> roughly 22,000 fans turned out, stretching down Grand Avenue as far as the eye could see.

Fans are camping out for Messi in KC

Fans are lining up outside the team's riverfront hotel.

Sports

Argentina fans have gathered outside <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Origin Hotel" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2026/02/06/argentina-base-in-kansas-city-thousands-fans" data-vars-content-id="3d56116c-677c-4acd-8b1d-574d7415c80b" data-vars-headline="Fans are camping out for Messi in KC" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2026/02/06/argentina-base-in-kansas-city-thousands-fans" target="_self">Origin Hotel</a> day after day since the squad arrived, hoping for a glimpse of the World Cup champions.The big picture: The team&#x27;s riverfront hotel has become a daily draw, wrapped in Argentina&#x27;s blue and white with a giant Messi banner hanging off the side.

Ronald McDonald House launches World Cup rally flags

Ronald McDonald House KC is selling $10 World Cup rally flags starting Friday.

Things to Do

Ronald McDonald House is giving Kansas Citians a World Cup-themed twist on <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Red Friday" data-vars-click-url="https://www.chiefs.com/redfriday/" data-vars-content-id="cfe198cd-b4dd-4ac5-8065-019a1623b137" data-vars-headline="Ronald McDonald House launches World Cup rally flags" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.chiefs.com/redfriday/" target="_blank">Red Friday</a>.The big picture: The tradition of buying Chiefs flags to support sick kids and their families has expanded to the tournament, giving people a chance to make a global impact.

KC "breathes soccer": Dutch journalists on first impressions

Kansas City has better World Cup energy than New York, they say.

Kansas City has better World Cup energy than New York, according to Dutch sports journalists Sjoerd Mossou and Etienne Verhoeff.Why it matters: With the Dutch team&#x27;s arrival and matches fast approaching, foreign press — and soon fans — are experiencing KC for the first time.

New mural celebrates Black music on Vine Street

Two artists spent two years turning a Vine Street wall into a hand-painted history of Black music. It'll outlast the World Cup crowds as a permanent piece of KC.

Culture

A once-crumbling, 250-foot wall in KC&#x27;s historic 18th and Vine Jazz District has become a hand-painted journey through Black music.Why it matters: The World Cup will pack KC with visitors for a month, but the mural will outlast them as a free and permanent piece of the city&#x27;s history.

18th and Vine pedestrian mall heralds future development

The Jazz District is experiencing a renaissance, leaders said at the mall's opening.

The opening of a new pedestrian mall in the 18th and Vine District is just the beginning for this historic Kansas City neighborhood.Why it matters: 18th and Vine is experiencing a renaissance, leaders said at a ribbon cutting Wednesday, including new businesses and historic investments all celebrating KC&#x27;s Black history and culture.

Moon Bar brings Japanese-style cocktails to KC

It's the nighttime counterpart to Tian Tea House in Columbus Park.

Food and Drink

Moon Bar launched its brick-and-mortar cocktail concept last week after three years of popping up around KC.The big picture: It&#x27;s the nighttime counterpart to Tian Tea House, a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="slow-bar in Columbus Park" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2026/04/28/slow-tea-bar-serving-creative-fare-in-columbus-park" data-vars-content-id="6d5a5599-41d4-44f0-b713-3e32cc1ee09d" data-vars-headline="Moon Bar brings Japanese-style cocktails to KC" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/kansas-city/2026/04/28/slow-tea-bar-serving-creative-fare-in-columbus-park" target="_self">slow-bar in Columbus Park</a> serving creative flavor combinations and high-level hospitality.

World Cup Fan Fest will allow dogs some days

Organizers want Kansas City to be the most pet-friendly host city.

KC&#x27;s Fan Fest will open the doors to dogs during three Sundays of World Cup celebrations.Why it matters: Organizers said Tuesday they want Kansas City to be the most pet-friendly host city this summer, combining the passions of sports and pet ownership through animal activities and dog adoptions.

KC has an LGBTQ+ "Shark Tank" for relationships

At "Where to Find Us," your best friend gets three to five minutes and a slideshow to sell you to a roomful of singles.

Imagine your best friend taking the stage in front of hundreds of people, slideshow ready, to pitch you as the city&#x27;s most eligible single. That&#x27;s a typical evening at a <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="&quot;Where to Find Us" data-vars-click-url="https://www.instagram.com/wheretofindus.xo/" data-vars-content-id="3d51c966-0e16-4a81-b2ed-34b472ccbc19" data-vars-headline="KC has an LGBTQ+ &quot;Shark Tank&quot; for relationships" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.instagram.com/wheretofindus.xo/" target="_blank">&quot;Where to Find Us</a>&quot; event.Why it matters: Co-founders <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Lo Mchel" data-vars-click-url="https://www.instagram.com/lo.mchel/" data-vars-content-id="3d51c966-0e16-4a81-b2ed-34b472ccbc19" data-vars-headline="KC has an LGBTQ+ &quot;Shark Tank&quot; for relationships" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.instagram.com/lo.mchel/" target="_blank">Lo Mchel</a> and <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Tiffany Watts" data-vars-click-url="https://www.instagram.com/hookedonkc/" data-vars-content-id="3d51c966-0e16-4a81-b2ed-34b472ccbc19" data-vars-headline="KC has an LGBTQ+ &quot;Shark Tank&quot; for relationships" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.instagram.com/hookedonkc/" target="_blank">Tiffany Watts</a> started the show in 2024 to build a dating space for the LGBTQ+ community, not just one that lets them in.