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Local McDonald's Owner steps in to help out destroyed Kansas City community center

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Whatsoever Community Center is receiving assistance from the community by way of a fundraiser through the Essig Family McDonald’s.

The center, opened in 1915, offers a variety of programs aiming to provide growth and stability for local children, youth, and families through its critical after-school programming. They even now offer a free boxing club.

One of their buildings was damaged entirely because of a fire.

“We’ve had that building for about 28 years. It has been an infant toddler, it’s been for senior meals on wheels, it’s been for activities for the students,” said Whatsoever Community Center Executive Director Charlie Gascich. “We actually were going to try to redo it into our preschool program and move it across the street

Essig Family McDonald’s is hosted a digital fundraiser at the McDonald’s restaurant located at 5347 Independence Avenue. Whatsoever Community Center will received 20% of digital sales from the McDonald’s app, in-store kiosk and delivery. Customers were encouraged to download the McDonald’s app prior to the event to place their orders to support the local center.

“We were in the process of trying to look to tear it down anyway but we didn’t want to do it in this fast of a fashion because we did not have the funds to tear it down right away,” he said.

The center started a GoFundMe page on their own, but are getting assistance from Essig Family McDonald’s who have helped them out in the past before. Gascich said they helped them with some funding in the past when people stole boxing equipment.

“We’re really grateful for the help and we want to get that area back to something positive for the community instead of being what it looks like now,” he said. “We’re kind of an island here. There’s nothing else in the area for youth and families to do all we do.”The center has been deeply impacted and needs donations now more than ever. Gascich said it’ll cost about $15,000 to $20,000 to do what they want with the space now.

“That’s why we’ve been around since 1915, is because of those people – all the people – that have helped us over the years. I mean, if you take in total of all the things that have went on since 1915 most recently COVID and this, it’s just another part of doing business,” he said. “There’s always good days and there’s bad days but you have to keep going forward to be able to provide for the community and our kids.”

The Essig Family McDonald’s website shows Essig and Associates, Inc., Essig Brookfield LLC, and Essig West LLC is a family owned business and McDonald’s independent franchisee of 37 restaurants in the greater Kansas City metro, St Joseph, north-central Missouri areas and Lincoln, Nebraska.

Check out the full story HERE