KSHB 41 reporter Grant Stephens covers downtown Kansas City, Missouri. He also focuses on stories of consumer interest. Share your story idea with Grant.
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Max Crawford's spice brand Max Mix has grown from a single Hy-Vee store to more than 150 locations across the Midwest and this month, he's using that success to give back.
Crawford, who sells his spice blends under the name Max Mix, is donating $2 from every bottle sold at Hy-Vee this month to Belong KC, a supportive living community in Olathe for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. He is also hosting in-store signings at Hy-Vee locations.
Karla Quandt, store director at the Lee's Summit Hy-Vee, has watched Crawford's journey since his first pop-up event years ago.
"He brightens everybody's day. And so what's really cool is to look over his progress and growth over the last couple of years," Quandt said.
"Now he is in over 150 HyVees across the Midwest. And so he's expanding like crazy," Quandt said.
The charitable campaign came from Crawford himself. Last month, he called Quandt with the idea.
"Max gave me a call about a month ago, and actually, Max calls me every Tuesday to tell me it's Taco Tuesday. And so we talked quite, quite regularly. But he said, Hey, Karla, can we do something at Hy Vee? And he said, 'I want to help Belong KC,' and of course I immediately was like, we're doing it, right?" Quandt said.
At a recent in-store signing, Crawford was energized by the response from shoppers.
"I want people to love it," Crawford said.
For Crawford, the work means something deeper than sales numbers.
"My big dream - to have meaningful work," Crawford said.
Customer William Boyd said the experience of meeting Crawford left an impression.
"It warms your heart. It really does. Max is a super person. He's got good products," Boyd said.
Crawford said the signings give him something he values deeply.
"It makes me feel proud," Crawford said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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