Oakes Auto Group Fights Hunger With Pete's Garden

September is Fight Hunger Month, and this year Oakes Auto Group put some real weight behind it. We donated $5,000 to Pete's Garden, which covers about 2,000 meals for families right here in the Kansas City area.

We're also sponsoring Pete's Garden for the full year. Hunger doesn't take a month off, so neither should we.

Pete's Garden rescues high-quality, surplus prepared food from restaurants, dining services, and caterers around the metro, food that would otherwise go to waste, and turns it into family-style meals for households that need them.

Getting the Full Picture

Before anyone touched a pan, our volunteers got an overview from Tamara Weber, Pete's Garden's Director and Founder. She walked the team through why the organization exists and how far the food actually travels once it leaves the kitchen. From there, a quick training covered how to portion and pack meals the right way, and then it was time to get to work.

What We Actually Did

The job is simple, but it adds up fast. Volunteers portion and pack family-style meals from whatever surplus food came in that week, pasta, mac and cheese, pulled pork, you name it. Every container gets filled by hand, sealed, and labeled before it goes out the door.

Where the Meals Go

Here's the part that makes it feel real: the meals don't sit around. They get distributed that same afternoon by partner organizations serving families with kids, including Operation Breakthrough, Head Start preschools, and Boys & Girls Club after-school programs, plus more than 20 other organizations across the city each week.

You're not packing a box that disappears into a warehouse. You're packing dinner for a family a few miles down the road.

Why We Keep Showing Up

A year-long partnership means Oakes Auto isn't just checking a box for one month and moving on. Fight Hunger Month gave us a reason to get our hands dirty, but the sponsorship keeps that support going all year.

Want to see what Pete's Garden is all about, or get your own team involved? Check them out at petesgarden.org.