Supermarket Sweep: Beating the clock helps fight hunger
NEWARK – Fifty-four Central Ohioans tethered to shopping carts vied to beat the clock and their competitors Saturday during the annual Supermarket Sweep to benefit the Food Pantry Network of Licking County.
About 150 friends, family members and curious shoppers gathered midday in front of J.C. Penney in the Indian Mound Mall in Heath to watch the 23rd annual installment of the friendly competition.
"It is a blast, and it's for a good cause," said Melissa Cawthorn, of Heath, who joined co-worker Rachel Allen, of New Albany, to represent J.C. Penney.
Although the two women admitted to coming down early to "scope out" the course and competition, they said they had no way to actually prepare.
"I think it's just more about a fun atmosphere and supporting a great cause," Allen said.
"The event is great for the Licking County Food Pantry," said mall General Manager Joe Williams. "We love to help support local agencies, and we want to become a bigger part of the community."
In the midst of Saturday's first round of competition, Williams and teammate Bry Bickerstaff, mall marketing director, stood in first place with six points. They earned those points by correctly selecting six items from a grocery list within one minute. Williams credited Bickerstaff for her attention to detail in picking the correct products from those of a different size or flavoring.
"The biggest challenge was the short amount of time we have and the amount of product on the shelves," Williams said. "It's a lot more difficult than it seems."
"We've been strategizing for two days," Bickerstaff said. "We didn't know what to expect going into it, but I think we did pretty good for the first year."
Organizers intentionally stocked low-sodium, fat-free, or sugar-free options alongside regular products, and also varied the sizes to make the competition more difficult, according to Chuck Moore, executive director of the countywide Food Pantry Network. An incorrect selection subtracted a point.
The 10 top teams from the first round moved on to the final round. Total scores from both rounds crowned the winner, which holds a traveling trophy — a miniature shopping cart — until next year's event.
This year's competition, which included 27 teams, should raise more than $7,000 for the Food Pantry Network, Moore said. Companies paid at least $100 to sponsor two-person teams. Tamarack Farms Dairy, of Newark, sponsored the most teams with seven.
Saturday's competition was the 23rd such event for the Food Pantry Network, Moore said, all of which have been hosted at the mall.
The event helps kick off the network's 25th Annual Operation Feed, which starts Monday and runs for three weeks to collect food and cash donations to stock 20 food pantries and 17 other agencies in the county, Moore said.
"For us, cash is most important, because we buy the majority of our product at four cents a pound," he said.
Most of that purchased food comes from grocery stores and food companies that funnel it through the Mid-Ohio Food Bank of Grove City, he said.
The annual drive, which varies in length for participating companies, sets a goal of $200,000 to buy enough food to stock the pantries through the fall, Moore said. The network has achieved that goal for the past four years. Last year, it distributed 3.1 million pounds of food, he said.
This year, at least 125 locations throughout the county will be participating in Operation Feed, Moore said, collecting cash donations, nonperishable foods, toiletries and personal hygiene items for families in need.
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Supermarket Sweep winners
• First place : Stacy R. Engle Insurance Co., Heath
• Second place: Tamarack Farms Dairy, Team E, Newark
• Third place: Kindred Transitional Care and Rehabilitation, Newark
• Fourth place: Dawes Arboretum
Source: Chuck Moore, executive director of the Food Pantry Network of Licking County
Operation Feed
• What : Food Pantry Network of Licking County's 25th Annual Operation Feed
• When: March 2 through 22, with some companies extending it through the end of the month.
• FYI: About 125 organizations throughout the county will take part to help feed families in need by collecting food and cash donations. Cash donations will be used to buy items in bulk. Other needed items include peanut butter, canned tuna, canned meats, macaroni and cheese, other nonperishable foods, toiletries, and personal hygiene items.