As Kathryn Phillips, 67, raced through the grocery aisles Saturday, she had one destination in mind.
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“I went straight for the meat,” Phillips, a West Side resident, said. “I know a lot of seniors that don’t have much. So whatever I got, I share with them.”
Phillips was the first of five people chosen during Living Fresh Market’s monthly 60-second shopping spree event in Forest Park, leaving with a cart of groceries, free of charge.
When her raffle number was called, she broke into a dance. “Oh, my goodness, it was amazing,” Phillips said. “I was just surprised.”
The raffle is free to enter; 152 people received a raffle ticket Saturday. The only requirement is that shoppers be Fresh Rewards members, which is also free to join. Customers can sign up online or register in person on the day of the race.
The monthly giveaway started last year in response to federal cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and rising grocery costs. Since then, Living Fresh Market has hosted the event on the last Saturday of every month, a tradition that store owner Melody Winston said will continue through the rest of the year.
“People really didn’t know where they were going to get their next meal from, so putting together the 60-second shopping spree created a lot of excitement,” Winston said. “It allowed me as a grocer to be able to give back to the community.”
Though Phillips said she has a bad knee, she ran through the store in Nike tennis shoes, pushing a cart decorated with gold streamers and food flags. After gathering meat, she headed toward the dairy section, grabbing almond milk for neighbors in need.
“I’m just thankful that I was blessed to keep what I did,” Phillips said. Her total came to $147.63.
Helping guide Phillips through the store was Clark Brantley, 59, a member of the Tau Nu Sigma Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity, Inc. Brantley jogged alongside her, pointing out sections to help her maximize the $300 limit.
“I could barely keep up with her; she was beating me,” Brantley said as the clock hit zero.
The Tau Nu Sigma Chapter sponsored February’s event in honor of Black History Month. As one of the largest Black-owned grocery stores in the country, Living Fresh Market dedicated this month’s giveaway to celebrating Black entrepreneurship and community impact. Fraternity members congratulated each winner and posed for group photos with their full carts.
Beyond the giveaway, the event included a DJ, an emcee and food demonstrations highlighting Black and brown-owned brands carried in the store. Local vendors handing out samples included barbecue sauce and seasoning from Riley’s Ribz, Essie Marie’s Salad Dressing and healthy crustless sandwiches for kids from Mo’Mo Bites.
As the daughter of the Rev. Bill Winston, founder and pastor of Living Word Christian Center, a Chicagoland megachurch that acquired Living Fresh Market through its subsidiary Forest Park Plaza in 2021, Winston said she is inspired by her father to uplift local businesses.
“He has always been in the business of one, empowering people, but two, being a servant,” Winston said. “I think this says the same for me. It gives me an opportunity to empower entrepreneurs and teach them how to get it on a retail shelf, but also be a servant.”
Later in the afternoon, 26-year-old Aahliya Cox of La Grange became the second winner of the day.
“When I heard my number, I was scared,” Cox said. “I didn’t want to go up at first. I have stage fright. I don’t want the attention. But I did it, and it was so exciting. I’m so happy I did it.”
Her cart totaled $290, just under the $300 cap, filled with rib tips, chicken, tissue and laundry detergent for her family.
“I’m just so grateful for Living Fresh,” Cox said. “They were truly so encouraging when I won. I’m so blessed and thankful for this opportunity.”
As she returned to the front of the store with a smile and a cart full of groceries, fellow shoppers and Living Fresh employees congratulated her, many reaching out for high-fives.
Throughout the day, shoppers danced to the music, sampled food from vendors and gathered near the front of the store waiting for each raffle number to be called.
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“It’s a good time for all,” Winston said. “I just want to ask everybody to come out and enjoy themselves, whether you’re shopping or not, and just take part in this community event.”
She ran alongside each winner, helping them to add items back to their carts if they dropped anything, and encouraging them to grab as much as possible.
“It’s really funny. It reminds me of the old game show that they used to have back in the day,” Winston said. “There have been some strange situations here and they’ve all been really exciting.”
While seniors have the option to have someone else run in their place, she said one of the previous winners was in a wheelchair, and when it came time to start, she got up and started running with the cart.
Next month, she plans to make the event women-themed in honor of Women’s History Month. Beyond the 60-second shopping spree, the market offers Fresh Rewards members 15% off their entire cart every Tuesday.
“We’ll see what happens in the future, but we’re looking forward every month to doing something a little bit different, but the 60-second shopping sprees are here to stay,” Winston said.