🌾 Step Up for Wichita

There are a lot of ways to help

Author

Landon Huslig
November 14, 2025

Good morning, Wichita!

The biggest thing that makes Wichita thrive are the people.

Local, small businesses make our city special. Small businesses like College Hill Deli and Catering. This weekend and this holiday season, if you’re on the fence about where to go out to eat or where to shop, please consider going to a local business.

Let’s get to it!

- Landon

p.s. The next Wichita Life Dinner Club is officially open and will be on December 9th! If you missed the first one or had so much fun you’re ready to come back, sign up today because it will fill up. This is a great way to meet new people and support local businesses.

LOCAL BUSINESS

Opening

Closing

  • Abuelo’s - Waterfront location - now close. this does NOT affect the west-side Abuelo’s.

Moved

Break Downtown Augusta

You may or may not have been to downtown Augusta recently, but I will say it has a very charming, small town downtown strip.

Next Saturday, local celebrity and entrepreneur Zach “Mr. Mixer” Dinicola wants you to help him “break” (in the best way) downtown Augusta with a bar crawl. Can you help him achieve his goal of supporting local businesses?

Reverie Roasters

Congrats to Reverie on being named one of USA Today's '10Best' Independent Coffee Shops!

NONPROFIT

Wichita Affordable Housing

You’re all invited to the Wichita Affordable Housing Block Party this weekend to learn how some people in town are approaching the affordable housing crisis. Oh and there will be free food today and tomorrow.

SB Mow it Forward

Spencer from SB Mowing is the absolute best.

He just started a new nonprofit called SB Mow it Forward to lend a hand where it’s needed most. You can donate here and he will make sure people get the help they need.

Goodwill Opens New Opportunity Center

Goodwill Industries of Kansas just opened a brand-new Work-Focused Opportunity Center at 4720 S. Seneca, designed to help more Wichitans overcome employment barriers through hands-on training, manufacturing jobs, and wraparound support. A huge win for workforce development in South Wichita!

A Gala to Remember

Mark your calendars! A Gala to Remember returns on February 14, 2026, benefiting Mothers of Young Children, a local nonprofit supporting moms with kids under five through free events, childcare, and community.

Learn more about helping sponsor the event as well!

Join the Wichita Life Insiders

When you join Wichita Life Insiders, you will directly support these emails and the way we cover Wichita news and events. The membership also comes with a few perks we think you will like:

  • Support independent news coverage

  • Monthly Member Only Giveaways (local gift cards worth $20+)

  • Monthly Event Calendar

  • Shoutout in our Email Newsletter

  • 20% Wichita Life Shop Discount

Thank you to all of the current insiders!

CIVIL

City Manager Candidates

The three City Manager candidates have been announced out of 89 applicants.

Polar Watson’s Christmas Express

Watson’s Christmas Express is back and it’s pure holiday magic.

Snag a VIP spot for the full Polar Express experience (storytime, crafts, campfire s’mores, hot chocolate, and a train ride to meet Santa). Or come during general admission and build your own adventure. A cozy, twinkly, family-friendly night that feels straight out of a Christmas movie. đźŽ„🚂✨

Andover Vets

The City of Andover has installed designated parking spots at City Hall, the Andover Public Library, the Police Department, both Fire Stations, Central Park and 13th Street Sports Park, reserved for veterans and active military members as a simple but meaningful thank-you.

LOCAL

Food insecurity is a big issue.

With your help with ICT Food Rescue, this shirt feeds Wichita.

ICT Food Rescue, a Wichita-based nonprofit with a mission to distribute unavoidable food surplus, sharing with the foodinsecure of Wichita.

ICT Food Rescue serves Wichitans who are experiencing food insecurity, poverty, and homelessness through its partnership with 18 nonprofit organizations across the City of Wichita.

In 2025 alone, ICT Food Rescue has already

  • rescued over 166,048 pounds of food

  • providing 138,373 meals to our neighbors

  • and saving over $318,812 in local economic value.

Food Drives

Wichita is stepping up to help:

The Smithsonian’s Americans Exhibit Is Coming to Wichita

Wichita’s Mid-America All-Indian Museum (MAAIM) will be among the first venues in the nation to feature Americans, a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian Institution. The exhibit is currently touring Kansas and will be on display at MAAIM, 650 N. Seneca, from November 22 through January 3, 2026.

ICT EXTRA

Top clicks of the week 🖱️

Recycling

S/o to Chris Leon on raising over $100k by recycling to help out military veterans.

Say What?!

Matt Rife

If you don’t know who Matt Rife is, you probably aren’t his target demo. But he did sell out super fast last time he was in town and is coming back next year, this time to INTRUST Bank Arena. You can get presale tickets until 11am today with code LUCID here.

Click the banner above to view the full event calendar

Weekend

Friday 11/14

Saturday 11/15

Sunday 11/16

LIVE MUSIC

Don't see your concert or show here?

SPORTS

That's it for today! Send this to a friend who loves meeting new people.

Thanks!

- Landon