Cheerleaders help with grocery grab
New World in Waipukurau was a bit noisier than usual one morning recently.
“But in a good way,” said owner Gerard Kennedy.
As staff warned earlymorning shoppers to stand clear, Tikokino School parent Kirsty Rapson was tearing around the shop filling a trolley to the brim, followed by 10 loudly cheering Tikokino School students.
Kirsty was the winner of the school’s fundraising raffle — for a 90-second grocery grab.
She hadn’t trained for it, she said, “but I have scoped out the layout of the shop so I know where I’m heading.”
After a 10-second countdown from Tikokino School principal Hamish Natusch, Kirsty was off, and the children were off after her, shouting their encouragement.
Ninety seconds later Kirsty rolled her heaped trolley up to the checkout and Mr Natusch announced there would be Juicies all round for the school’s pupils, as the till rang up $789 worth of groceries.
The checkout operator had a message to pass on.
“Mr Kennedy says that’s not enough. He says you have to go and get some more.”
Each of the cheering children was sent forth to get another item each, with Kirsty’s daughter Georgia coming up trumps with her offering . . . a flowering gerbera for Mum.
Kirsty says she got everything she had wanted “and more,” but Gerard had one condition he wanted to add.
“You have to keep all the chocolates for yourself.”
The raffle raised $6500 for Tikokino School, which Hamish says will go towards computers, sports equipment and science equipment.
The school community thanks their Grocery Grab sponsors: Central Design & Print, Tikokino Contractors, Dawn Buster Fishing Charters, CHB Motors LTD, Auto Super Shoppe Waipawa, Phoenix Firepumps, Sawyers Arms, Bay Motorcycles, Matt Oliver, Wallace Contracting and Longridge Panelbeating, Painting & Engineering.