Peter Mallouk, President and CEO of Creative Planning, LLC, will be joined by his wife, Veronica, and hundreds of employees on Saturday, November 18th, for an activity that has become an annual holiday tradition – providing a Thanksgiving meal to 750 families in Wyandotte County served by Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas. This ticketed event will be held from 9:30 – 11:30 am at the Hope Distribution Center (HDC) at 1708 Steele Road in Kansas City, Kansas.
“Creative Planning has been given the opportunity to work with many of the most successful people in our community and across the nation. From the beginning, our giving has been focused on utilizing our time and money to help the part of the population – on the other end of the financial spectrum – that needs it most,” said Peter Mallouk.
This partnership between the wealth management firm headquartered in Overland Park, Kansas, and the charity began over five years ago when Creative Planning offered to join Catholic Charities’ efforts to provide a Thanksgiving turkey to individuals and families in need. It was determined that the company’s generosity could have the greatest impact in Wyandotte County, the largest of the 21 counties served by Catholic Charities, where approximately 13 percent of the population is food insecure.
Creative Planning underwrites the cost of providing the turkeys, as well as the fixings such as potatoes, stuffing, green beans, pie and more. In addition to the financial donation, the company’s employees volunteer on the Saturday before Thanksgiving at Catholic Charities’ drive-thru turkey distribution held at HDC. They arrive early, sometimes bringing along their children, and pack the bags of food. When the distribution begins, they carry the bags, along with the turkeys, to the cars of individuals and families in need who have signed up in advance through the agency. Turkeys and meal kits are also given out to Wyandotte county seniors ages 55 and older who participate in the Foster Grandparent Program, tutoring and mentoring at-risk children.
“Every year it is a privilege to donate, package and deliver a big meal to families that need and welcome the opportunity to enjoy a big Thanksgiving dinner with their loved ones,” added Peter Mallouk.
Creative Planning helps alleviate some of the financial stress that Catholic Charities experiences during this time of year. “We are incredibly grateful for their support. We rely heavily on food and financial donations in order to provide for those struggling to feed their families,” said Lauren Solidum, President and CEO of Catholic Charities of Northeast Kansas. “Thanks to Creative Planning’s gift, we can allocate the turkeys and food we receive from parishes and partners to our other communities that we serve where the demand for food is also great.”
Food insecurity has been an issue near and dear to the Mallouks’ hearts. Nearly 10 years ago when Catholic Charities identified a need for a larger space for food storage and distribution, they responded by making a personal donation to purchase the HDC warehouse. “It was stunning for us to see the instant impact this new facility had on the agency’s capacity to serve the hungry, especially our rural neighbors,” said Veronica Mallouk.
It is their drive and commitment to fighting poverty that led the couple to become more involved with the critical work of Catholic Charities. They will serve as the Presidents of the 50th Annual Snow Ball on January 20, 2024 at the Overland Park Convention Center. Funds raised support Catholic Charities’ mission, one that closely aligns with the Mallouks’ own values, of giving help, hope and hospitality to the most vulnerable children, women and men. To learn more about Snow Ball and its impact on Catholic Charities’ life-changing programs or to purchase a ticket, visit: snowballgala.org
ABOUT CREATIVE PLANNING, LLC
Creative Planning, LLC is an independent wealth management firm that provides a financial planning-led investment management approach, retirement planning, estate planning, trust services, tax advice and family office services for individuals as well as business services and institutional money management. Creative Planning has more than $245 billion in combined assets under management and advisement as of July 1, 2023.
