Wells Fargo Advisors Topeka, Kansas, and The Topeka Rescue Mission helping to give back this Holiday Season

Wells Fargo Advisors Topeka, Kansas, announced today a new project with The Topeka Rescue Mission. Throughout the holiday season and the coming year, Wells Fargo Advisors employees will provide support to the Mission by having food and item bins at their office, volunteering hours in the warehouse, and serving meals over the course of 2010. A $3,000.00 grant from The Wachovia Wells Fargo Foundation has been provided to leverage their efforts.

“We know that many more of our neighbors have been hit hard by the economic downturn and our team members want to do what they can to help,” says Neta Jeffus, Branch Manager and Sr. Vice-President. “Our project with The Topeka Rescue Mission to provide food and supplies will help to make a difference in the lives of many.”

The project is one of 200 throughout the U.S. managed by Wells Fargo Advisors as part of the firm’s Investing in Our Communities initiative.

“As a leader in our industry, we recognize that investing in our communities is a responsibility we have as a result of doing business there, and we understand that our firm is only as strong as the communities where we are located,” said Danny Ludeman, president & CEO of Wells Fargo Advisors. “To that end, through our team members’ volunteer efforts, corporate philanthropy and community involvement, Wells Fargo Advisors is showing its commitment to building strong and vibrant communities, improving quality of life, and making a positive difference where we live and work in a very hands-on way.”

To be eligible for foundation funding, projects had to outline how the firm’s employees would get involved in hands-on projects ranging from stocking food pantries and serving meals, to conducting clothing drives and re-painting shelters.

Both Wachovia Corporation and Wells Fargo & Company have strong legacies of giving to the community. In 2008, the combined company contributed $226 million in grants to 22,000 nonprofit organizations and 1.4 million team member hours volunteering in communities across the United States.

Sunflower Showdown Benefits Topeka Rescue Mission

Tomorrow night a very reliable indicator of the outcome of the “Sunflower Showdown” will be revealed. Clients of Wells Fargo Advisors will be bringing food items and other contributions to score points to show their loyalty for their favorite team—including KU, K-State, Washburn and Emporia State. In the past 5 years, the team with the most donations has also been the winner of the Sunflower Showdown between KU and K-State!


This year’s beneficiary is the Topeka Rescue Mission. As a warm up to the KU/K-State game on Saturday, Wells Fargo will be hosting a fun-filled event at the Great Overland Station between 4:30 pm and 7:00 pm on November 4th. Clients of Wells Fargo will be greeted with much fanfare as they are enthusiastically cheered to see which team can bring in the most food pantry item donations and monetary contributions for the Topeka Rescue Mission, a non-profit agency dedicated to providing services to individuals and families in need or in crisis. The team that has the most points (for items and donations) at the end of the evening will have all contributions for the Rescue Mission made in on behalf of either KU, K-State, Emporia State or Washburn’s name.

For every food pantry item donated, the team will receive one point towards their score. Making a monetary donation scores a touchdown for 6 points. The team with the highest number of points will represent who has the best school and Rescue Mission spirit.

“We are proud members of the Topeka Community and are looking forward to the “Are you Ready for Some Football” challenge. We hope this will really help the Topeka Rescue Mission and the families they assist and that this event will be a fun and exciting way to kick off the pre-game rivalry”, says Neta Jeffus, Branch Manager of the Topeka Wells Fargo Advisors office. “We are looking forward to getting the teams rallied around the Topeka Rescue Mission”.

“We are excited about this event”, states Barry Feaker, Executive Director of the Topeka Rescue Mission. “Many families are in need right here in Topeka and this is a great way to show support of the Topeka Rescue Mission, the community, as well as team spirit”.

The event is expected to have well over 150 in attendance.