Local Initiatives
Co-op Sponsors ‘Food-raiser’
Using their well-honed ability to get to an objective quickly, a team from the Dowagiac, Mich., Fire Department raced through a Niles, Mich., supermarket on June 9.
From left, Jim Keyes, Bob Nelson and Tony Stewart participated in a "food-raiser" sponsored by a co-op. (Photo By: Patty Nowlin)
The squad of Jim Keyes, Bob Nelson and Tony Stewart, wasn’t responding to a fire, but to another pressing challenge: helping feed the needy.
Each of the three-person teams that took part in the “food-raiser,” sponsored by Midwest Energy Cooperative and Martin’s Supermarkets, received a grocery list.
They then got five minutes to “sweep” the store in a competition to see which team could gather the most items from the list.
The teams’ $50 entry fees, along with the gathered groceries, were donated to a local food pantry. Cassopolis-based Midwest Energy co-sponsored another Supermarket Sweep in its southeast Michigan service territory as well; the two events raised more than $4,000 in cash and groceries for designated food pantries.
“We’re thrilled to partner [in] a twist on traditional food drives that will provide some meaningful help in our communities,” said organizer Nicole Barfell, Midwest Energy business and community development specialist.