A growing and excited crowd packed the entrance of Cornerstone Co-op’s Elk Point food store on Thursday morning, re-routing incoming shoppers through the exit, but the crowd parted when a very excited Tonya Beeching came through the door, accompanied by Kyle Tingey and their young son, Nathan,
Among those eagerly awaiting her arrival was Cornerstone general manager Graham Getz, who told the gathering, “It’s not every day we have the ability to change someone’s life.”
According to a Co-op press release, when Beeching was told over the phone she had won $100,000 in a Co-op contest, she originally thought it was a scam.
“I was kind of freaking out,” said the Elk Point resident “I was pacing up and down and totally in shock.”
Beeching, a member of Cornerstone Co-op, won the grand prize in a random draw of online entries in Co-op’s 2017 Fuel Up to Win contest after no one collected the seven game stickers needed in the Collect to Win portion of the promotion.
She said her family will take a small trip to celebrate, but is looking to pay off debts and invest most of the money in order to save for a down payment on a home.
More than $8 million in prizes were available to Co-op customers in this year’s Fuel Up to Win contest, Getz said. The eight-week promotion ran Feb. 24 to April 20 at Co-op food Stores, gas bars, convenience stores and home centres across western Canada.
“We’re excited to present the grand prize to one of our local Co-op members,” said Getz. “Fuel Up to Win goes beyond being a normal contest, as we’re also able to make two community donations, which is a big win for our entire community.”
The community donation from Federated Co-op Ltd. was shared by two organizations with projects in Elk Point and district. Representatives of the County of St. Paul and Elk Point Family and Community Support Services (FCSS) came forward to accept $20,000, which will go toward upgrading the town’s aging tennis courts into an outdoor Pickleball court, while four members of the Elk Point Volunteer Fire Department accepted $5,000 that will go toward the purchase of new equipment.
FCSS Board chair Glen Ockerman said Elk Point “holds a dear place in my heart, and it couldn’t run without businesses like the Co-op. It makes the community a stronger, better place to live.” He added thanks to the Co-op board members for their dedication to Elk Point and its people.
Deputy Fire Chief Mike Ernst thanked Co-op on behalf of the department, and said the department enjoys a strong relationship with the local store, including working with Co-op on the annual pre-Christmas food drives each year.
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