Updated: Apr. 29, 2020

Wichitans are known for their friendliness and hospitality. When things get tough, they come together and help one another, and this is true now more than ever. 

We are so proud of our partners who are helping Wichitans during these challenging times. One Wichitan answering the call is Adam Hartke, partner at WAVE, one of the city’s newest entertainment venues. Like many Wichita small businesses, WAVE had to lay off workers and postpone plans due to the coronavirus outbreak. To help his workers and other service industry workers, WAVE partner Adam Hartke decided to proceed with a farmers market he’d been planning to launch in March 2020.

Funky Fresh Farmers Market will be a traditional Sunday farmers market once it is safe for people to gather again. In the interim, it will be an online market where shoppers can order fresh produce, meat, eggs, bread, coffee, soap and other items that Wave’s employees and others will deliver in a 15-mile radius of the downtown venue every Wednesday and Saturday. Shoppers also will have a pick-up option on those days. They can call from their cars, share their order numbers, and workers will bring their items to them.

See more examples of how other Wichita organizations and companies are responding and helping their community:

  • Chicken N Pickle has surpassed 1,000 meals given to Wichita community members since the start of the COVID-19 crisis. In mid-March, the company’s leadership team challenged its skeleton crew to find 30 ways to touch the community in 30 days, which they have exceeded. Partnerships with the Ronald McDonald House, United Methodist Open Door, Wesley Medical Center, St. Francis Hospital, Sunlight Child Advocacy Center, GraceMed and Derby Medical Center, among others, have allowed those serving our area to receive a hot, delicious meal during this crisis.

  • Blade and Timber is helping distribute Rieger's Remedy Hand Sanitizer. The 2-liter bottles must be pre-ordered (limit 2/person) and the next pick-up day in Wichita is April 24 at The Alley.

  • Meddy's is giving away free meals for a year for 500 deserving restaurant employees. To nominate an employee, tag them in this Facebook post and have them download the Meddy's app to accept the nomination. Nominations are accepted through April 30 and on May 1, 500 individuals will be randomly selected to receive $10 weekly gift cards.

  • Show your Wichita pride and support the Wichita Community Foundation by purchasing this No Place Like Home shirt from the Wichita Wind Surge. All proceeds (except production costs) go back directly to the foundation.

  • Tanganyika Wildlife Park have launched Community Connections, where they visit various locations with special guests to spread joy to the community while continuing to give our ambassador animals the social interaction and training they need to support our education and conservation efforts when we re-open to the public. See the videos on their Facebook page - so far, they've visited Dove Esates Senior Living, Avita Rolling Hills Assisted Living and Memory Care, Wichita Children's Home, and Family Health and Rehab.

  • Staff and friends of Music Theatre Wichita are making cloth face masks and offering them to the public for free (donations suggested). The masks are fully lined with multiple layers made of 100% cotton and elastic ear loops.

  • Hopping Gnome Brewing Company is highlighting a different group (grocery store employees, teachers, first responders, etc) each week and offering 20% off their orders on Wednesdays. Check their Facebook page to see each week's group.

  • Cars for Charities started ICT Bar Rescue to help Wichita's hospitality industry. Along with Monarch, several Wichita businesses are raising money to provide grants to support individuals and families that need financial help during this time.

  • With events canceling, INTRUST Bank Arena was left with perfectly fine food and thought of creative ways to pay it forward. The perishables were given away to local food bank, ICT Food Rescue. This rescue will use the food to stock up at one of their crisis centers and recovery homes.

  • Meddys is known for Mediterranean food in Wichita, earning awards for their hummus, and they are about to open the culinary minds of children across the city! With concerns that students who rely on school lunches for meals could go hungry, Meddys closed their doors to the general public and started channeling efforts and resources to feeding children in the Wichita community. To support this effort via their GoFundMe page, visit the gofundme​ driven by Meddys and several other restaurants.

  • In response to the needs among local health care workers, fire, EMS and police officials during this difficult time, Wichita State University initiated a drive to collect and donate personal protective equipment. Already, WSU has teamed up with Textron Aviation to donate 1,500 N-95 masks for local first responders. The university plans to continue to deliver masks, Latex gloves, surgical gowns and more through this ongoing effort. Additionally, WSU's College of Engineering have begun producing face shields for area first responders in the Project Innovation Hub.

  • Owner of The Workroom and Birney’s Snack Shop, Janelle King, spearheaded a drive to provide free sack lunches to anyone in the community in need, and has already handed out hundreds of free sack lunches to people affected by school or business closures and layoffs.

  • The Pumphouse, a popular bar and grill in downtown Wichita, donated all their bread and lunch meat to the Birney’s Snack Shop’s sack lunch cause.

  • Local brewery Wichita Brewing Co. & Pizzeria is working to help local medical and law enforcement organizations by creating a batch of hand sanitizer in one of their 1,800 gallon fermenters, usually reserved for making hand-crafted brews like WuShock Wheat.

  • One local coffee shop, Kookaburra Coffee, has teamed up with 20 different organizations to create Let’s Help ICT. The groups offer various goods for anyone in the community in need.

  • Tanganyika Wildlife Park has temporarily closed to the public, but is offering day camps for kids to help essential workers in the community that are having trouble finding daycare. 

  • Il Primo Espresso Cafe are giving away 500 cups of their house brew to first responders and health professionals.

We don’t want to miss anyone so if you see another example of Wichitans being amazing, please email us at info@VisitWichita.com.