photo by: Austin Hornbostel/Journal-World

Just Food's home at 1000 E. 11th St. is pictured Friday, March 24, 2023.

Leading up to the Sunflower Showdown between the University of Kansas and K-State University, two food pantries will compete pound-for-pound to see who can collect the most food donations.

“Our (pantries) got together and thought it would be a really fun idea to get some sponsors involved and get in on this friendly competition and use that as an opportunity to hopefully fight hunger in both communities,” Maggie Bashore, Just Food’s communications and creative manager, told the Journal-World.

Starting Friday, Oct. 18, and running through Sunday, Oct. 27, Just Food in Lawrence and Flint Hills Breadbasket in Manhattan will compete to see who can collect the most donations. The winning food pantry will get a grand prize of $10,000.

“We’re holding this competition as (if) it’s K-State and KU competing, and Flint Hills is in the K-State community and Just Food is in the KU community,” Bashore said.

The $10,000 prize is donated by sponsors of the two food pantries. The Trust Company, supporting Flint Hills Breadbasket, and an anonymous donor backing Just Food have each contributed $2,500. Additionally, Dillons, the main sponsor, has matched that amount with $5,000, resulting in a total prize of $10,000.

Bashore said that if Just Food wins the prize money, it will be used to support the organization’s substantial food purchases.

“We spend a ton of money on purchasing food,” Bashore said. “To put it in perspective, like we would get $10,000, but we spend about $40,000 on food purchasing every month. It would go directly towards feeding the people that we serve.”

Dillons will be hosting food drives at designated locations in Lawrence and Manhattan. In Lawrence, food collected at the 23rd Street location and the Sixth and Wakarusa locations between Oct. 18 and Oct. 27 will count toward Just Food’s total. The food drives will also feature special appearances from starting KU football players at Dillons on Sixth and Wakarusa from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Oct. 24. Additionally, Big Jay will be at Dillons on 23rd Street from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Oct. 25.

Bashore said that while Just Food will accept any donations, some of the most needed items include rice, tuna, cereal, meal kit boxes like Hamburger Helper, canned fruit, canned beans, pasta sauce, pasta, granola bars, peanut butter and canned tomatoes.

Just Food will also be accepting monetary donations with each dollar counting as one pound of food, which can be donated on their website. Additional information on where to bring donations can be found at justfoodks.org.