Hāwea Flat resident Alan Keen grabbed $2,140.31 worth of groceries in the New World Three Parks Grocery Grab competition this morning (Thursday, December 4).

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Randomly selected from 1,088 entrants in the annual event, Alan entered at the last minute after prompting from his wife, Tracy.

“I got a call from [New World Three Parks co-owner] Dean [Bartley] and he said I’d won. I felt very excited and a little bit nervous,” Alan said.

He said the two minutes he had to race around the store went “very quick”.

“Everything is a blur. I had a plan; it didn’t go to plan,” Alan said.​

Alan, who works as a project manager for NZ Post, said he and Tracy have called Hāwea Flat home for nearly 10 years. 

The couple donated part of their winnings to the Upper Clutha foodbank run by Community Link, with the rest earmarked for family Christmas celebrations.

New World Three Parks matched the haul's value with its own donation to the foodbank.

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“The objective is to support Community Link; it’s great for the winner to get the value of shopping, but really it is about helping out Community Link,” Dean said.

“Community Link is special and we want to give back where we can.”

Community Link representative Lindsey Schofield said the support from New World Three Parks is “amazing”. 

“The donation that New World Three Parks is making will help us support families doing it tough,” Lindsey said. “Its really going to help us make Christmas a lot happier for a lot of families.”

The New World Three Parks Grocery Grab marks the store's anniversary while boosting the local food bank at Christmas time.

PHOTO: Wānaka App