Every summer, something quiet happens the moment the last school bell rings. For millions of families across the Midwest, the end of the school year doesn't just mean summer break — it means the end of the free and reduced lunch programs that many children depend on. Food insecurity, already a daily reality for too many households, gets harder.
For the fifth consecutive year, Kunes Auto & RV Group is doing something about it.
What Is Trade in Hunger?
Running June 8–17, our fifth annual Trade in Hunger campaign is bringing together all 54 Kunes dealerships across Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota with one shared goal: pack 250,000 meals for families facing summer food insecurity and deliver them directly to local food pantries and food banks in the communities we call home.
That's not a number on a spreadsheet — that's 250,000 real meals reaching real neighbors. The campaign was formally announced via a press release on PR Newswire — you can read the full release here.
How It Works
Each dealership will designate a "Driver" to lead the effort, with the rest of the team serving as the "Pit Crew," working together in an assembly-line format to build meal kits stocked with everyday staples: peanut butter, pasta, sauce, canned vegetables, canned tuna, applesauce, oatmeal, and boxed mac and cheese. Each location will aim to pack around 5,500 meals, and the dealership with the fastest per-kit build time earns the 2026 Trade in Hunger championship title.
Logistics and delivery are handled in partnership with PackHope, a division of Umoja, ensuring every kit gets where it needs to go.
Why This Campaign Matters to Us
Kunes was founded in 1996 right here in Delavan, Wisconsin, on a mission centered on Faith, Family, and Giving Back. Since day one, 10% of our annual profits have gone back to the communities we serve through the Kunes Family Foundation. Trade in Hunger isn't a one-time gesture — it's the fifth year we've run this campaign, and with each year, it grows.
As Jennifer Myers, Chief Marketing Officer of Delavan Holdings, put it: "Our team understands that growth means nothing if we're not strengthening the communities we call home, especially when families are struggling with food insecurity. Trade in Hunger is one of the meaningful ways we live out that commitment, and it's very powerful watching our entire organization come together around a shared mission."
That's exactly what this is — an entire organization, hundreds of team members across four states, pausing to say: the people in our communities matter more than anything we sell.
A Tradition Worth Building On
There's something meaningful about showing up the same way, year after year. The families who depend on local food pantries in Beloit, Galena, Elkhorn, Quincy, Mason City, and dozens of other communities we serve don't need a one-time act of generosity. They need neighbors who keep showing up.
That's what Trade in Hunger is becoming. A tradition. A commitment. A reminder that being part of a community means something.
