Supermarket Sweep, a philanthropic event organized by the Stone Scholars and Hartman Center, with the collaboration of the Purdue Extension office, will be open to the public this April 18. “Our mission is through dignity, care, and respect, we provide food and hygiene items to our Putnam County neighbors while connecting them with additional resources to meet their needs,” Anna Sherrill, coordinator of community-based learning, said.
According to Stone Scholar Quan Nguyen, this event is “promising and unique,” as Supermarket Sweep isn’t simply a donation event, but instead, an educational competition that raises awareness among participants that 13% of Putnam’s population lack access to sufficient food or food of adequate quality to meet their basic needs.
“Being a Stone Scholar, I think this event is a great experience for me. I was able to design flyers, contact clubs, and organizations for promotion, and set up a tabling event in front of Hoover. This event is meaningful as the community can join and help the local pantry to tackle the problem of food insecurity,” Quan Nguyen said.
At Supermarket Sweep, teams compete against each other to see who can buy the most food and needed items to benefit the food pantries. There will also be challenges on campus throughout the day and at the event to earn more money towards your total, according to DePauw’s CampusLabs.
Following is the timeline of the event:
- 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.: The event opens to all individuals, donations can be shopped or donated to the pantries.
- 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.: 4H Teams
- 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.: DePauw Teams competition
Speaking of community services at DePauw, Sherrill said, “Since August 2021, The Hartman Center for Civic Engagement has dedicated over 11,000 hours to community services in Putnam County. Students service is anywhere from running a food/fundraiser for the Putnam County pantry coalition, working with local youth in the schools, advocacy work in organizations, and much more.”
She also added that Supermarket Sweep is just one way you can get involved in community service here in Greencastle, and if you would like to get connected, stop by the Hartman Center for Civic Engagement.