By Haley Mitchell Godwin

During the Christmas season, the holiday spirit was alive and well at Food Depot. The locally owned and operated grocery store brought joy to the community with its annual 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway. From January 13 to Christmas Eve, shoppers had the chance to enter a drawing to win a variety of exciting prizes simply by registering inside the store.

The prizes ranged from kitchen essentials such as an air fryer, stand mixer, crock pot, knife set, knife block, food processor, ceramic griddle, and silverware set to a show-stopping gigantic Christmas stocking filled with toys, coloring books, candies, and more. Additionally, Paul Creel of Luverne won $150.00 worth of groceries when his name was drawn from the box.

For Creel, winning the prize brought a glimmer of joy to what was his first Christmas without his beloved wife Sally, who sadly passed away on October 15 of this year.

“Christmas was a little rough to start with, but I have a lot of great family,” Creel said. “After some shared sadness, we went on with the day and really enjoyed each other.”

Despite being a regular at Food Depot, Creel only entered his name into the drawing twice.

“I go there so often I can tell you what aisle everything is on, but I kept forgetting to put my name in the box,” Creel said. “I finally remembered to do it on Wednesday, and then I entered my name again on Thursday before they drew my name.”

Creel, who enjoys cooking for his grandchildren, plans to use the prize money primarily to purchase roasts—something his grandkids frequently request.

Other lucky winners included Shantifiney Mitchell, Miranda Bell, Patsy Bass Husband, Donna Simmons, Rosemary Lowe, Lanette Clayton, Susie Norris, Jachlynn Taylor, Lane Compton, Angela Cross, Danny Wells, James Smith and Melissa Owens.

Assistant Manager John Huard expressed gratitude to the community and emphasized that the 12 Days of Christmas Giveaway has become a cherished tradition at Food Depot.

“We do the giveaways each year just so we can say thanks to our customers. We really do appreciate them,” said Huard, reflecting the store’s commitment to fostering a sense of community during the holiday season.

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