Three-time champion Akiem Harshman celebrates after earning a $1,000 donation for Judson Memorial Baptist Church during Paczki Palooza.
LAFCU partnered with Quality Dairy as co-sponsor of Pączki Palooza, the popular pączki eating contest, and walked away at the three-time champion, winning $1,000 for Judson Memorial Baptist Church.
The event centers around the sweet goodies leading up to Fat Tuesday, the traditional feast day before the Christian season of Lent. Pączki (pronounced POONCH-kee) are rich, filled Polish pastries commonly enjoyed in the Midwest.
Paczki Palooza 2026 was Quality Dairy’s kick off of its 90th anniversary celebration. Founded in 1936, both LAFCU and Quality Dairy have served the Lansing community for nine decades. Their continued partnership through Paczki Palooza blends local tradition with charitable giving.
“Quality Dairy and LAFCU have been partners for several years, and it’s great to collaborate with an organization that reaches so many audiences and genuinely cares about the community,” said Phil Platte, marketing and category manager at Quality Dairy. “We’ve worked together on several events, and this contest is always a fun way to bring people together while supporting important causes.”
Quality Dairy provided prize money benefiting each contestant’s selected charity. For the grand prize, LAFCU contributed half of the $1,000 donation for the winner’s charity.
“For organizations rooted in community service, this is a natural fit,” said Kellie Swiger, creative director at LAFCU. “It’s a fun Lansing tradition, but at the end of the day, it’s about directing real dollars to nonprofits that are doing important work.”
Akiem Harshman claimed his third consecutive title, eating six pączki in five minutes — double last year’s winning total of three in three minutes — and earning a $1,000 donation for Judson Memorial Baptist Church.
“It feels really good to be able to win this money for the church,” said Harshman. “I’m glad to help the church and the community. The church does a ton of outreach, and it’s the church I grew up going to, so being able to give back where I can is important.”
Additional charitable donations awarded through the contest included:
- Second place: DeSean Whipple, DJ, Power 96.5, Haven House – $300
- Third place: Brian Farnham, board president, Community Circle Players, Riverwalk Theatre -$200
- Fourth place: Mark Lawrence, chief of staff for Mayor Andy Schor, American Red Cross -$100
- Fifth place: Terry Stevens, on-air personality, Q106, National VFW Home – $100
- Sixth place: Halatu Musa, food influencer, Michigan Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence – $100
By combining friendly competition with charitable giving, LAFCU and Quality Dairy once again demonstrated how longstanding community institutions can make a meaningful impact — one pączki at a time.