COMSTOCK PARK, Mich. — Wearing whipped cream on their faces, Fritz Wahlfield Jr. and Tom Bucholtz, sat in front of 5,655 pounds of food, collected by their construction company for a Thanksgiving donation drive.
"That was pretty good," said Wahlfield, the company president, wiping a piece of pie from his eye. "You going back to work now, Tom?"
That month, the he and project superintendent had collected the least amount of food in the company-wide competition for charity, leading to the pie-in-the-face punishment.
"There's always a winner and there's always a loser," Wahlfield said. "But at the end of the day, everybody won here."
With Wahlfield's last place putting forth 800-plus pound of food, he's right. The stockpiling of canned corn, applesauce and other items will feed families, distributed by Feeding America West Michigan.
"Fun for the boys to banter back and forth," said Amanda Bremer, an office administrator who came up with the competition. "We're just blown away."
Initially, the locally-owned, third-generation construction company set a goal of 500 pounds and, if met, promised to match the amount. A few days into the three-week drive, though, its employees and subcontractors rocketed past triple digits, finishing with the 5,655-pound total.
"Heartwarming," said Liz Wahlfield, an office secretary. "We thank everybody who gave."
When picking a charitable cause, Feeding America seemed like a natural choice for the company, as Liz routinely volunteers at its West Michigan chapter, located a short drive down the road.
"I just think it's a wonderful thing to feed so many people," Liz said.
"It really hits home, touches my heart," said Kenny Cavanary, the Feeding America delivery driver who picked up the pallets of food from Wahlfield Construction. "I've been in those lines. It's helped me out."
"It's a good day," Fritz Wahlfield Jr. said. "And a Happy Thanksgiving to all."
