#GroceryChallenge

By Miss Andrea

“What do you do with the prize money?” Is one of the most frequently asked questions I get while in the front office. While competition parents, recreational program parents, and visitors wait in our lobby, it’s hard not to comment on the shelves of competition trophies lining our walls.

With every competition, top routines are awarded prize money for their achievements. It’s then up to each studio to determine how it is distributed. In the past, PMDC has used the winnings to throw team-bonding events, distribute it back to dancers, and purchase small tokens of appreciation for Competition Team members. This year, we decided to start a new tradition and give the winnings back to our community.

Miss Nicola and I were introduced to Marilyn Gunn and the Community Kitchen Program (CKP) from a parent who is passionate about community giving. From there, the idea to do a grocery shopping spree with all proceeds going towards CKP was formed. The Shawnessy Co-op was gracious enough to let us use their space and we quickly rounded up 40 eager dancers to spend over $4,500 of prize money from our 2015 competitions.

Dancers were split into teams and were given a grocery list and budget to work with. They had half an hour to purchase as many items on the list as possible while staying within budget. All food items (which ranged from Bisquick, to canned fruit cups, to Lunchables) were all on CKP’s most needed list. Not only did the donations go to a good cause, our dancers also saw the direct impact their donations can have on other children in our community.

In a recent interview Marilyn commented, “We have never seen hunger in Calgary like we are seeing this year. Community Kitchen has been helping Calgarians for 25 years and the demand right now is extraordinary. People are desperate. We are so thankful that Pure Motion is offering their help. It will make a huge difference”.

Shaw TV was there to capture the event and will be broadcasting their report periodically between March 23 – 25. Catch the coverage on channel 10 or through their online live stream here.

Videos of Miss Nicola’s interview and Marilyn’s interview can also be found on Shaw TV’s YouTube channel.

Thank you to Bonnie, Laura, Courtney, Marilyn, Lucy, and Phoenix for making this incredible day for our competition team a reality!

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To learn more about CKP, visit their website at ckpcalgary.ca. For information about Calgary Co-op, visit their website at calgarycoop.com.

Photos from the event can be found in our Gallery. Photo credit to Community Kitchen Program.