St. Croix youth raced through The Market STX on Sunday, Nov. 12, as they vied for cash prizes and helped support Lutheran Social Services residents during Cane Bay Cares’ second annual Kids’ Supermarket Sweep.
The scavenger hunt was part of Cares’ Kids Health IQ Expo, an annual health fair designed to offer practical and fun ways for children to stay active and healthy.
Six teams were given a list of food items to find before a 30-minute timer ran out. They earned the bulk of their points for each correct item in their cart, for making it to a designated checkout line in time, and for maximizing their given budget.
The first-place winners were Trevor Noelien Jr. of the Eulalie Rivera K-8 School, Adonis and Nial Moorehead of the Pearl B. Larsen Elementary School, Nhye Griffin of the Free Will Baptist Christian School, and Cherish Abraham of the St. Croix Seventh-day Adventist School. Each member of the winning team received $100; second place winners received $75; and third place winners received $50.
2023 Supermarket Sweep winners Trevor Noelien, Nial Moorehead, Cherish Abraham, Nhye Griffin, and Adonis Moorehead (front left to right) pose for photo along with Cane Bay Partners CEO Jimmy Whatley (back right) and Cares volunteers Raydiance Cherubin, Alfred Acquah, and Christian Brady (back left to right).
After the hunt, all food items collected from the teams’ carts as well as a monetary gift were donated to LSSVI to support the residents under its care.
Kimberly Moorehead, parent of two first-place Sweep winners, described the event as an “excellent” learning opportunity.
“Supermarket Sweep was an excellent opportunity for our two sons to learn about maintaining a healthy body during the health fair and then putting those facts into practice during the Supermarket Sweep,” Moorehead said. “The boys met three new friends, worked in a group to budget and purchase 12 healthy items, and learned the importance of giving back during the donation to the Lutheran Social Services. It was an amazing event!”
Supermarket Sweep participants pose for a photo with Lutheran Social Services Director of Housing Management Raymonia Leonce (center). Leonce represented LSSVI to accept Cares’ donations after the hunt.
Health and fitness professionals, along with educators, also took part in the health expo, delivering interactive presentations centered around the theme “My Amazing Body.”
Through a series of brief lessons and physical challenges, the young people participating in the expo learned about different parts of the body, how they function, and best practices for longevity.
Presenters included Dr. Jason Williams of Williams Family Chiropractic, Coaches Addison Griffin and Will Edwards from the Lion Haven St. Croix Community Center, Dr. Letitia Henry of The Prevention Specialists, LLC, Registered Nurse Chris Adeen, North Caribbean Conference Youth Director Leriano Webster, and Educators Juliette Heddad Miller and Jerriece Webster.
Reflecting on the entire event, Wyndi Ambrose, Cane Bay Partners brand manager and organizer of the Kids’ Health IQ Expo, shared her enthusiasm on the turnout and noted that the program had met its goals.
“Seeing that many kids come out to learn about making healthier choices really made my heart glad,” Ambrose said. “Cane Bay Cares and its afterschool program Operation Inspire are very focused on education through project-based learning, so when we see children having a blast playing games that teach them how to be healthy, shop for goods themselves, and budget – we consider that a success.”
Cane Bay Partners Director of Corporate Relations Janella Simon also commented, “It’s always great to see children engaged in learning activities while having fun, and we cannot thank our presenters enough for their attention-grabbing presentations.”
“There is no doubt that the scavenger hunt is the favorite part, and The Market continues to work with us to make sure it doesn’t disappoint,” Simon added. “Overall, it was an amazing event, and I cannot wait until next year.”