HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Kitchen Hero Academy walked away with the top prize Saturday night as United Way of Reno County awarded $26,500 to four local nonprofit organizations during its second annual Spark Tank Live at the 1861 Club on the Kansas State Fairgrounds.
The event gave four finalists an opportunity to pitch their programs to a panel of judges and community members, competing for funding to support projects aimed at strengthening families and addressing financial challenges across Reno County.
Kitchen Hero Academy earned the $10,000 first-place award for its summer cooking program, which teaches middle school students how to shop for groceries, prepare nutritious meals and make healthy food choices while working within a budget.
Foster.Adopt.Connect received $7,500 for second place and an additional $1,500 after winning the audience-voted People's Choice Award. Its program helps older children preparing to age out of foster care set and accomplish personal goals through financial incentives.
Clothed in Compassion finished third, earning $5,000 for its work supporting children with developmental and learning delays while connecting families facing similar challenges.
Circles Reno County received $2,500 for fourth place for its Social Capital Bingo program, which helps participants establish goals, build relationships and connect with mentors outside their existing support networks.
United Way of Reno County President and CEO Lacey Mills said the event is about more than distributing funding. It also gives local organizations a chance to share their work with people who may not realize the resources available in their own community.
"My favorite part of the night is that we always have people who leave and say, 'Gosh, I had no idea that this was happening right in my own backyard,'" Mills said. "It just gives those folks an opportunity to tell what their great work is, how they could use extra help and support from the community."
The event is part of United Way's BOLD Goal to reduce the percentage of Reno County households living in poverty or classified as ALICE by 5% over the next five years.
ALICE stands for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed and refers to working households that struggle to afford basic living expenses. United Way estimates nearly 41% of Reno County households fall into either the ALICE or poverty categories.
Mills said applicants were asked to submit projects that could make a lasting difference by addressing problems before families reach a crisis point.
"We wanted a program that's going to really focus on trying to help ALICE families in our community," Mills said.
Mills said the organization also sought projects with an "upstream" approach, meaning they focus on removing barriers that contribute to financial instability rather than simply providing assistance after a crisis occurs.
Before Saturday's event, a committee of community members reviewed applications from eligible nonprofit organizations and selected four finalists. Each organization presented its proposal on stage before answering questions from a panel of four local judges.
The judges included Benjamin Anderson, CEO of Hutchinson Regional Medical System; Dashona Mahoney, controller at DCI; Shauna Schoepf, owner of Shep Chevrolet Inc.; and Pippin Williamson, owner of Sandhills Brewing.
The judges determined the final rankings, while audience members voted separately for the People's Choice Award.
United Way Director of Marketing and Development Carla Stanfield said Spark Tank Live also allows the organization to expand its reach beyond the 22 nonprofits it supports through annual funding.
"This event allows us to reach outside of those organizations and touch additional organizations and individuals that they're serving," Stanfield said.
Stanfield said the presentations also give organizations an opportunity to identify needs beyond financial assistance, including volunteers, supplies and additional space.
"I don't know that the nonprofits in our community get this kind of moment to showcase their work and truly make their needs known in any other way, quite the same," Stanfield said.
The idea for Spark Tank Live came after Mills and Stanfield attended United Way of the Plains' Impact on the Plains event in Wichita. The two brought the concept back to Reno County, launching the local version in 2025.
Mills said the response to the inaugural event was overwhelmingly positive, prompting organizers to bring back much of the same format for Saturday's event.
The event is invitation-based rather than ticketed, and community members interested in attending future events can contact United Way or follow the organization through its website and social media channels.
While a date has not been announced for 2027, organizers hope to continue using Spark Tank Live to connect local nonprofits with additional community support.
"I think everyone walks away a winner from Spark Tank," Stanfield said.