This Saturday, South Stand SC hosted its annual Chili Cook-Off event. Participants in the competition brought pots of their best chili to the tailgate, which began three hours prior to kick-off. This year, six Sporting KC fans battled it out for the honor of best chili, with awards for first, second and third place.
But the competition wasn’t just about providing tailgate food for the hungry masses of SKC Nation. The event aimed to raise awareness of hunger in Kansas City and help those in need. In order to taste any of the six homemade pots of chili, attendees brought a can of food to donate to Harvesters Community Food Network. Those who brought two or more packages of canned food earned a ticket to vote for their favorite chili.
“The idea is to raise awareness about hunger in Kansas City, so we invited our members and members of other supporters clubs to bring their best chili,” event planner and coordinator Ashley Schildknecht said. “Part of our South Stand mission is to grow the game through community involvement, and the best way to reach your community is to feed them — especially the ones who are hungry and who are lacking that kind of nutrition and the ability to provide for themselves.”
This year, Tim Marks took home home first place, with Scott Maleta coming in second and Schildknecht herself coming in third. But more importantly, South Stand SC managed to collect 300 pounds of food from the event, with a turnout of about 70 people.
“Sporting KC is such a huge proponent of charity work,” Schildknecht said. “We want to be a representative not only of South Stand but also of Sporting Kansas City in the way that we love our community. Our hashtag this year is #AllForTheCity. That’s what we do, — reach out to our city and to our community.”
