Rod McCormick, Susan Gendron (Commissioner of Education), Jane Aiudi, Melanie Littlefield preparing to race

The winning team ringing up their grocery items

2nd Annual Food Check-Out Day Grocery Cart Race Held

The Augusta Wal-Mart Super Center was the setting recently for the 2nd Annual Food Check-Out Day Grocery Cart Race to benefit the Ronald MacDonald Houses of Bangor and Portland.  Maine Farm Bureau Women's/Agriculture Education Committee organized the race to draw attention to Food Check-Out Day and what it represents.  Food Check-Out Day is the date when the average American has earned enough to pay for his/her family's yearly food supply, and was February 6th this year.  Food in America really is affordable! Less than 10% of disposable income is spent on food in America, compared to the 33% needed in Mexico and the 51% required in India.  By comparison, the yearly tax commitments for most Americans won't be met until the 2nd week of April.

            With food price tags so low, Americans have many options available to them that wouldn't be possible were food costs higher.  Providing food for the Ronald MacDonald Houses, which offer "homes away from home" for the families of seriously ill/injured children, is a great way to draw attention to these facts. 

This year's grocery cart race had Maine Commissioner of Education Sue Gendron and Rod McCormick from the Maine Department of Agriculture competing against Jane Aiudi and Melanie Littlefield-Hickey, both from the Maine Department of Agriculture.  The two teams were charged with obtaining the greatest variety of non-perishable food items, the most Maine products and the highest dollar value for all items collected in the five minutes allotted.

The Gendron/McCormick team collected 114 food items in their carts.  Of those, there were 50 different varieties and 3 Maine products with a value of $443.52.  The Aiudi/Littlefield-Hickey team collected 190 food items.  Their carts had 87 different items, 8 of which were Maine products, with a total value of $448.64.  Thus, Aiudi's team was victorious in meeting all three challenges presented before the race.  However, the Ronald MacDonald Houses of Bangor and Portland were the ultimate winners since they each obtained 151 food items valued at more than $466.

The Augusta Wal-Mart Super Center hosted the race and picked up the tab for one team's groceries.  Maine Farm Bureau purchased the other groceries as a way of recognizing the efficiency and capabilities of American farmers, without which food prices would be much higher.