Iola Rotarians sold 901 tickets for this year’s Grocery Grab, which took place Saturday morning at G&W Foods of Iola. Jessica Thompson of Iola bought just four of them, and was selected as the winner for the Grocery Grab, securing five minutes of virtually unlimited shopping in the store.
Not quite like the odds of winning a golden ticket to meet Wonka, but just about as special. Especially since Thompson turned around and gave her ticket to April Jackson, director of the SEK Recovery House. Half of the tab, which totaled $879.43 in free groceries, will stay with the house; the other half will be given to Hope Unlimited, an organization that serves survivors of domestic and sexual abuse.
Jackson had done her homework before the big day, too, planning a route. “I knew I wanted to go to canned goods and then head to the meats,” said Jackson after raiding the store. She ended up with three grocery carts, stuffed full of eggs, milk, roasts, whole chickens, cuts of beef and pork, canned goods and more. “I’m just so excited,” said Jackson. “I couldn’t believe it. Things like this make me feel like we have karma on our side.”
This is the sixth edition of the Rotary fundraiser, and it gets bigger and better every year, according to Iola store manager Dan Giles. “We love the energy, love the enthusiasm,” he said. “We had an amazing crowd this morning.”
Five other finalists for the Grocery Grab won gift certificates ranging from $25 to $125, and another gift certificate for $50 was awarded after the race for the closest guess of the total amount.
With the funds, Iola Rotary turned around and purchased 35 Thanksgiving baskets from G&W Foods, which were distributed to area families on Sunday. Capping off a flurry of activity before Thanksgiving, the volunteer organization will spend this week delivering free atlases and dictionaries to third and fifth graders in Iola, Humboldt and Moran.
