One could stand at a grocery store for hours on end to collect donations for a worthy food bank, or instead gather up a team of three, throw on running shoes and participate in Midwest Energy Cooperative’s Annual Supermarket Sweep Food Drive.
Supermarket Sweep is a spirited and competitive “food-raiser” that pits team against team for a five-minute sweep of the supermarket. The team collecting the most items on the provided shopping list wins. The 2012 beneficiary is the Community Food Pantry Program in Marcellus.
Midwest Energy Cooperative is now accepting teams for the 2012 event, scheduled for June 12 at the Martin’s Super Market on Sanford School Road in Elkhart. Registration and cart decorating begin at 8 a.m. with the actual Sweep commencing at 9:30. A brief awards ceremony will be held once all of the groceries are checked out.
“Families in southwest Michigan are struggling, and the food pantries are having a difficult time keeping up. Midwest Energy Cooperative is thrilled to partner with Martin’s to continue this fun and innovative twist on traditional food drives in order to provide some meaningful help in our communities,” said Nicole Barfell, event organizer.
The entry fee is $50 per team, or a donation of $100 worth of groceries. All money collected from entry fees, as well as grocery donations, will be provided to the food pantry, along with the groceries collected during the Sweep. Teams are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis with a limit of 16 teams total.
For more information or to sign up, contact Barfell at 445-1112, or by email at nicoleb@teammidwest.com.