Food Checkout Day Shopping Spree

Food Check-Out Day is the date by which the average American has earned enough disposable income to pay for his/her food supply for the entire year. The date is calculated by USDA statistics.

The day is marked each year by the Kane County Farm Bureau with a Shopping Spree between local public officials to benefit local food pantries. Each official is given five minutes to race to collect as many non-perishable groceries as possible for their chosen food pantry. At the end of the shopping spree, each competitor’s groceries are tallied and a winner is declared (all in good fun of course).

Donations of non-perishable food items are also collected on site throughout the day for the Northern Illinois Food Bank to benefit food pantries throughout Kane County.

Since it’s inception in 2001, the Farm Bureau sponsored Shopping Sprees have donated over $30,000 in groceries to local food pantries. Area public officials who have participated in the events have included current and former State Senators Don DeWitte, Karina Villa, Jim Oberweis, Cristina Castro, Steve Rauschenberger, Chris Lauzen, John Millner, Linda Holmes and Michael Noland; Representatives Suzanne Ness, Barbara Hernandez, Dan Ugaste, Steve Anderson, Keith Wheeler, Ruth Munson, Patricia Lindner, Tim Schmitz, Linda Chapa LaVia, Keith Farnham, and Kay Hatcher. Local officials include Circuit Judge Patricia Golden; current and former Kane County Board Chairs, T.R. Smith, Karen McConnaughay, Mike McCoy, and Theresa Barreiro; and Kane County States Attorney John Barsanti; Dr. Christine Sobek, President Waubonsee Community College, Dr. David Sam President Elgin Community College, and Elburn Village President, Jeffrey Walter.