Sullivan’s Foods, 300 N. Madison Street, Morrison, IL, invited residents of area towns to their annual Holiday Open House, on Saturday, November 21, 2015. Between 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m., guests sampled food and beverages. Tasting events–such as wine and cheese–were stationed around the store, previewing holiday items to make Thanksgiving and Christmas delicious and convenient. Checkers Candy Rausch, Morrison, Kara Dornbush, and Kassandra Girkin, both of Prophetstown, IL, left-to-right, were kept busy with sales and customer donations for the Morrison Friends Food Pantry (MFFP.)
Sullivan’s Foods is an active supporter of the MFFP. Store staff prepare bags of staples for MFFP recipients, and customers “buy” them for $10. Each bag contains more than $10 worth of groceries.
Manager Danny Baker reported, “We have sold nearly 50.” A parallel fundraiser allows customers to buy a leaf, signing their name if desired. These decorate the store entrance–visible proof of the community’s generosity. “We have about $700 [collected] for the leaves,” Baker said. Cash is used by MFFP staff to add other items for holiday giving.
Grocery bags can be purchased until Christmas, Baker added; the leaf collection runs through Tuesday, December 1. Pantry volunteer Deb Wickoff and Don Reed, Morrison, sold food bags and discounted Sullivan’ Foods gift cards and registered visitors for food drawings, during the Holiday Open House.
A highlight each year is the “Holiday 30-Second Shopping Spree.” People registered for the event, and the first name was chosen at 12:05 p.m. Because many folks did not return at that time to see if they were chosen, it took ten drawings before someone was selected who was present! Krystyne Farthing, Morrison, tossed four items into a cart. She chose a turkey, ham, beef roast, and gift basket. Later, Baker totaled the value of her items: $68.58.
Every hour included drawings for free gifts.
Celebratory prices were available for fruit and gift baskets; pointsettias; made-in-store trays of meat, cheese, vegetables, fruit, and shrimp; gift cards; meat and other food gift boxes.
The Bakery Department was a high-traffic spot; children could decorate a free sugar cookie or sign up for the scavenger hunt. Face painting, ornament making, and a coloring page to take home added to the fun, as adults shopped. Santa Claus sat on a bench for sharing wishful thoughts.
Donna Mahoney, Fulton, IL, assisted with the ornament craft. Shown left-to-right are Annabelle, Isaac, Hillary, and Marshall Blevins.
