Kane County officials take Check-Out Challenge for local food pantries

Kane County Board member T.R. Smith of Maple Park and Elgin Community College President David Sam were determined Friday to help provide food for needy people while having a little fun.

"Hey!" exclaimed Sam, pointing out Smith was playfully stepping on Sam's foot at the starting line of the Kane County Farm Bureau's 15th annual Food Check-Out Challenge Shopping Spree.

The two met up at the Jewel in Batavia.

Smith shopped on behalf of the Burlington-Hampshire Area Food Pantry.

Sam was representing the college's Spartan Food Pantry.

For six minutes they roamed the aisles.

The rules suggested they concentrate on canned goods, and items that contain corn, soybeans or wheat. They could only pick two identical items.

So, no sweeping a shelf of plain oatmeal or Honey-Nut Cheerios into their carts.

Smith and Sam had advisers from their pantries with them, and volunteers following them with replacement shopping carts.

"Mayonnaise! Mayonnaise! C'mon!" urged Barbara Brust, a food coordinator at the Burlington-Hampshire pantry. "Toss it in! Toss it in," she said, as Smith worked an aisle of canned chili and corned beef hash.

She knew what the pantry needed, and made no bones about telling Smith to move faster, as did supporters - really, more like hecklers - including fellow farmer and Kane County Board member Mike Kenyon.

They were to avoid cooking oils (too messy if dropped) and coffee. The Farm Bureau made separate donations of those two items.

Smith ended up the winner, with $937 worth of groceries (including the coffee and oil). Sam collected $660 in goods for the college pantry.

The contest is part of the national Food Check-Out Week, in which farm bureaus promote agriculture with consumers, including offering instruction on how to stretch their food shopping dollars.