KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After the 16th annual Kansas City Restaurant Week, organizers of KC’s premier dining event presented the 2025 featured charity, House of Hope, with a donation of over $125,000 in a ceremony Wednesday.
“Thanks to this year’s record-breaking number of participating restaurants and thousands of diners, we are incredibly proud to present this donation to House of Hope,” said Kathy Nelson, president and CEO of Visit KC. “KC Restaurant Week is dedicated to supporting our local restaurants and great organizations like House of Hope that are fighting food insecurity in the Kansas City region.”
Representatives from Visit KC and the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association, the founding partners of KC Restaurant Week, joined together Wednesday to present North Kansas City-based House of Hope with a donation of $129,880.
“We’re incredibly grateful for the support of the community and KC Restaurant Week diners,” said Liz Turner, House of Hope founder. “This partnership reflects so much more than a meal; it’s an investment in hope, dignity and the future of families in our city. We’re dreaming bigger for what’s ahead and believing in lasting impact far beyond this moment.”
House of Hope launched in 2020 just before the COVID-19 pandemic, quickly seeing a stark rise in food insecurity and an immediate need for resources in the community. Since then, House of Hope has distributed over 2.1 million meals across Missouri and Kansas.
Visit KC partnered with the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association in 2010 to create Kansas City Restaurant Week. In addition to supporting the local dining industry, participating restaurants pledge 10% of menu sales to three charities: the Greater KC Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, the Visit KC Foundation and a featured community beneficiary.
Throughout the 16-year history, Kansas City Restaurant Week diners have now raised over $4.2 million for local causes, including nonprofits like Kanbe’s Markets, Harvesters and the Don Bosco Centers.
“Kansas City Restaurant Week continues to showcase the heart and generosity of our local dining community,” said Mike Burris, executive director of the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association.
“We’re incredibly proud of the restaurants that participated and helped make this year’s event such a success. Thanks to their commitment, we’re able to support House of Hope’s Food Development Program — a vital initiative that’s making a real difference in the fight against hunger in our community.”
Applications Open
Visit KC and the Greater KC Restaurant Association are now accepting applications from nonprofits interested in being the featured beneficiaries for Kansas City Restaurant Week in 2027 and 2028.
Interested beneficiaries must be a 501(c)3 charitable organization, serve the entire Kansas City metro and have a mission or program directly related to food or nutrition for KC’s underprivileged communities.
Local organizations can view the full requirements and application here. Applications are due by June 30.
About Kansas City Restaurant Week
Kansas City Restaurant Week (KCRW) is KC’s premier dining event founded by the Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association and Visit KC to support the regional restaurant community. The 10-day dining event spotlights KC as one of the country’s premier dining and vacationing destinations. Each year, KCRW partners with local charities to raise funds for deserving causes. In 2025, restaurants boosted the event’s 16-year charitable total to $4.2 million. For more information, visit KCRestaurantWeek.com.
Acerca de Visit KC
Attracting millions of visitors to the Kansas City area annually, Visit KC is the internationally accredited chief hospitality sales and marketing organization for the region. With a mission of creating global passion for Kansas City, Visit KC collaborates with nearly 1,000 community partners to drive the marketing, sales and service of the destination’s convention and tourism industry—a sector that supports more than 128,000 local jobs and generates millions of dollars in community spending and sales tax revenue. For more information about Kansas City, please visit the official Visit KC website. Travelers planning their next trip to Kansas City can also find inspiration and local insights in the 2025 Visit KC Visitors Guide.
Acerca de la Asociación de Restaurantes de Kansas City
The Greater Kansas City Restaurant Association, as a chapter of the Missouri Restaurant Association, works with its membership to represent, educate, and promote the restaurant and hospitality industries in Northwest Missouri and in the counties of Johnson, Wyandotte and Leavenworth in Kansas.
About House of Hope
House of Hope exists to bring a hand up to a hope-filled future. The first steps toward helping individuals and families break free from poverty is by meeting practical needs through a grocery distribution program and shopping experience, Everything Beautiful Boutique, where women and children can shop free of charge with dignity and care. House of Hope also offers curated events to provide school supplies, winter necessities, holiday meals and Christmas gifts for the entire family. The Mobile Hope Truck helps to bring groceries, meals and essentials to local schools and marginalized communities. Learn more at hopeforkc.com.
