A Kitchen Sale with a Cause
Kaitlyn Peine
Community Health & Wellness Agent
2023 brought the return of the Extension Master Food Volunteer Kitchen Sale. The kitchen sale is an opportunity for our community to donate gently used kitchen equipment and the Extension Master Food Volunteers work to host a sale. The volunteer led effort is more than just a
kitchen sale. The organization is committed to helping our neighbors in need.
While the kitchen sale is open for all to shop, participants in extension’s SNAP-Ed program were invited to early shopping hours and provided a $20 gift certificate. At last year’s kitchen sale $200 worth of certificates were redeemed. The Extension Master Food Volunteers will be working again with our SNAP-Ed program and community partners to offer invitations and gift certificates to ensure early access to the sale.
In 2023 the sale brought in a record high total of $844. Committed to giving to community partners who serve limited income neighbors, the Extension Master Food Volunteers donated $500 of their sale profits. The remaining income from the sale supports volunteer training. The Douglas County Community Foundation received a $250 donation. Heartland Community Health also received $250. Elizabeth Keever, Heartland’s Chief Development Officer, said, "Heartland Community Health Center is grateful for the financial support of the Extension Master Food Volunteers. The financial support allowed us to boost access to fresh fruits and vegetables for the Care Cupboard, our food pantry imbedded into the clinic, during the winter months when donation of fresh food is lowest."
The Extension Master Food Volunteers are gearing up for this year’s sale. The 2024 kitchen sale will be hosted on Saturday, April 27 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the Flory Meeting Hall located on the fairgrounds. The kitchen sale offers shoppers the chance to score a bargain while supporting a great cause. Gently used kitchen equipment ranging from small appliances to utensils will be sold for prices between $1 to $10. Shoppers can even find tables where multiple items are sold for a bargain price of a $1.
The success of the kitchen sale relies on the community and their gracious donations of gently used kitchen equipment. Donations should be clean and in good working order. We are unable to take kitchen knives. Donations will be accepted from March 27 through April 25, Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the extension office located at 2110 Harper Street Lawrence, KS. A Saturday drop off will be offered at the same location on April 6 from 9:00 a.m. to noon.
The kitchen sale is a great opportunity to support a worthy cause while shopping for deals. Stuart Boley, an Extension Master Food Volunteer leadership team member, said, “It’s a really good opportunity to send gently used but still special items to a new home. It’s also an amazing shopping event for folks who want to spend their resources wisely in equipping their kitchens, where wonderful things can happen for them and their families.”
