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Cowboy boots notwithstanding, Michael Brauer sprints down the aisle in Tuesday’s 60-second shopping spree at Holyoke Marketplace, moving on from meats to cheeses. The three participating shoppers filled their carts with groceries totaling over $550 in one short minute. — The Holyoke Enterprise | Johnson Publications

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Sponsors and participants survey the groceries garnered during Tuesday’s shopping spree. They are, pictured from left, Donna Lutze (Methodist food pantry), Michelle Harms (Star 92.3), Michael Brauer (prize winner), Wade Warren (Holyoke Marketplace), Jill Fiedler (Holyoke Marketplace) and Teri Waln (Lutheran food pantry). — The Holyoke Enterprise | Johnson Publications

Grocery shopping gets fast and furious

Marketplace gives local food pantries 60 seconds to stock up ­— for free

Many tried to guess the five-digit combination for the prize vault at the Feb. 1 Farm and Home Show at Phillips County Event Center. Softening the disappointment of walking away without a new pickup were several consolation prizes. One such prize was a 60-second shopping spree won by Michael Brauer.

Holyoke Marketplace and Star 92.3 teamed up to sponsor Brauer’s shopping spree, but the marketplace went a step further, sponsoring two additional shopping trips for Holyoke’s food pantries.

“We primarily wanted to give back to the community,” Jill Fiedler of Holyoke Marketplace said.

On the morning of Feb. 11, Brauer was joined by Teri Waln of the Lutheran food pantry and Donna Lutze of the Methodist food pantry. The three took their places at the front of Holyoke Marketplace, each with an empty cart, and waited for the signal to go.

One minute passed quickly, but each shopper had a unique strategy to get the groceries they needed most. While Brauer went straight for meat and cheese, Waln and Lutze stocked up on the shelf-stable items that food pantries tend to need.

When the groceries were checked out after the fast-paced shopping trip, Brauer’s haul totalled $411. The Lutheran food pantry ended up with $77 worth of groceries to add to its shelves, and the Methodist food pantry checked out with $66 worth of food.

Holyoke Enterprise

970-854-2811 (Phone)

130 N Interocean Ave
PO Box 297
Holyoke CO 80734