Announcing the 2022 Amaizing Sweet Corn Glean-A-Thon

KANSAS CITY, MO (June 1, 2022) – Since After the Harvest’s inception in 2014, our mission has been to fight food insecurity, improve nutrition, and reduce food waste. But as the need continues to increase, our efforts have grown to meet the moment, and now ATH is proud to join forces with the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame in announcing our first signature event, the 2022 Amaizing Sweet Corn Glean-A-Thon and Sweet Corn Festival.

ATH and the Ag Hall of Fame are partnering to engage the robust business community in our region, soliciting corporate and community teams to help us harvest 50,000 ears of sweet corn from three generous Kansas City-area farms this July. This nutritious sweet corn will be delivered to area food pantries, food kitchens, Harvesters – The Community Food Network, and other local agencies serving people experiencing food insecurity.

“In 2022, Feeding America projects that 1 in 6 children and 1 in 8 adults in the Kansas City area don’t know where their next meal is coming from,” said ATH Board of Directors President Randy Burdge. “After the Harvest is the only organization of its kind in the Kansas City region, and we’re excited to engage our business community in this one-of-a-kind event with the ultimate goal of serving hungry people in our region.”

Over the course of two weeks in mid-July, competing teams will have a three-hour window to harvest as much sweet corn as possible. The competition will culminate in a Sweet Corn Festival on July 30, 2022 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame in Bonner Springs, Kan., which has a long history of promoting agricultural history and awareness in America.

“We are happy to partner with After the Harvest and host the Sweet Corn Festival at the National Agricultural Center,” said Dave Hurrelbrink, Board of Directors President at the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame. “As part of our mission to educate the community on agriculture, as well as to help feed those in need, this partnership is a perfect fit for both our organizations.”

Participating farmers who have generously planted sweet corn specifically for this event include Kathy Dean, Tom and Andrea Guetterman, and Jimmy Springer of Riverview Farm.

Team registration is still open, and ATH encourages community groups, faith and civic organizations, local businesses and families to sign up. Small teams of 2 to 7 members or larger teams of 8 to 15 members can register to compete here. All participating teams will receive company-branded t-shirts and cooling towels, and will enjoy refreshments at the field on the day that they compete in the Harvesting Contest. Contest winners will be announced at the Sweet Corn Festival. More details about the festival are available here.

After the Harvest and the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame would like to thank our generous sponsors who made this event possible, including:

• Cargill, Inc.
• Driscoll’s
• Bayer Crop Sciences
• Hallmark Cards, Inc.
• Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation
• People Partners Foundation
• Kansas Corn Growers Association
• Creative Planning, LLC
• Archer Daniels Midland

A limited number of corporate sponsorships are available. To learn more about sponsorship opportunities, please contact Lisa Ousley at lisa@aftertheharvestkc.org. For more information or to schedule press and media interviews, please contact Autumn MorningSky at autumn@aftertheharvestkc.org.

The National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) chartered by Congress in 1960 to educate society on the historical and present value of American agriculture and to honor leadership in agribusiness and academia by providing education, information, experience and recognition.

After the Harvest rescues nutritious fruits and vegetables from going to waste and donates them to agencies that serve hungry people, primarily in Greater Kansas City. Our volunteers glean after the harvest, picking what’s left in farmers’ fields and picking up already harvested leftover produce. The majority of the funds we raise helps secure semi-truckloads of donated produce that might otherwise end up in landfills. After the Harvest, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is the largest local produce donor to Harvesters—The Community Food Network. Learn more at aftertheharvestkc.org.

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