Supermarket Sweep
Kiwanis event rolls through Winn-Dixie
When Robin Pearl, owner and president of Sun Shrimp, bought a handful of tickets for the Pine Island Kiwanis Club Supermarket Sweep fundraiser, he never expected one of his tickets would be chosen.
“It was a really fun event. I never expected to win. I never win these kind of things so it was a really amazing, pleasant surprise,” Pearl said.
Pearl bought some tickets, he said, in an effort to support the local Kiwanis Club, and in the interim found out some of his employees were struggling financially. It was decided, groceries from the run would be handed over to those Sun Shrimp employees to split.
Clarita Flores was the Sun Shrimp team member designated to do the actual run through Winn-Dixie. She was chosen, Pearl said, because she is athletic and fast.
The employees were asked what they needed and Flores studied the Winn-Dixie layout over the weekend, in order to retrieve those items.
Winn-Dixie Store Manager Dan Loughren, who opened the store early for the event, was simply happy to be a part of the fundraiser.
“Those employees were so happy to win. You could tell they put some thought into what they were buying. They bought diapers, eggs, juice and milk — it was all food and every day items that they needed at home,” Loughren said.
Local Kiwanian Cindy Bickford, who coordinated the event, said the Kiwanis raised over $2,500. Proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the youth of Pine Island. Kiwanis offers scholarships, fall festivals, pool parties, a playground, and much more.
The Kiwanis Club meets every Wednesday at Pine Island United Methodist Church at 5701 Pine Island Road, Bokeelia. Breakfast is served at 7:30 a.m., and the meeting starts at 8.
To reach PAULETTE LeBLANC / pleblanc@breezenewspapers.com, please email