The Great Grocery Bag Debate of the Rotary Club of Oak Harbor has been put to rest after being put to the test.
Thursday afternoon at Oak Harbor’s Island Drug, two teams of volunteers competed in a “Fill Off” to determine which packing style is fastest when it comes to loading up grocery bags.
The Rotary Club’s Food4Kids Backpack Program provides groceries to low-income elementary schoolchildren whose homes may be sparse on food over weekends. Aaron Syring, owner of Island Drug, modeled the idea after similar programs in other communities.
The program started with a $7,000 Rotary Club grant in November 2014, and private and business donations keep it going. Most recently, Idex Health & Science, a medical devices company with an Oak Harbor location, donated $10,000 after seeing the program written up in the Whidbey News-Times. The company has also donated grants to the Oak Harbor High School Wildcats Robotics Club, the North Whidbey Help House and local Habitat for Humanity through its corporate foundation, said Andrea Rivers, customer service manager.
Volunteers from Rotary, Idex and other groups gather on the second floor of Island Drug on Thursdays to organize and bag groceries for 86 children who’ve been selected by counselors at five area elementary schools. (After too many children failed to return backpacks for the next week’s delivery, the switch was made to plain brown grocery bags.)
Weekly banter about the “fastest” bag-filling method grew louder and louder, explained Terica Ginther, self-professed ring master.
“Over the years, some of the volunteers have gotten cocky and they try and boss you around about the best and fastest way,” she said. “One claims it’s been ‘scientifically proven’ filling one bag at a time is most efficient while others are ‘double baggers,’ filling two bags simultaneously.
“So we decided to squash all this talk and put it to the test.”
To put a little more fun into the event, raffle tickets supporting teams were sold, raising $250 for the Oak Harbor High School version of Rotary called Rotaract Club.
Six volunteers split into two teams and faced down the dozen of plastic tubs filled with goodies, like mac and cheese, soup, ramen, crackers, granola bars and applesauce.
The Unibaggers were led by Dr. Jerry Sanders, the loudest proponent of the one-bag-at-a-time method, with teammates Jim Slowik and Kevin Kaltenbach. The Terminators, who predicted a thrashing using their two-bag double-fill technique, were led by Ken Hulet with teammates Steve Schwalbe and Kurt Schonber.
Judge Bill Hawkins of the Island County District Court kept time. Each team loaded 12 grocery bags in mad dashes and clashes of methodology and dexterity. Flashes of thrilling filling grab-and-go, go, go highlighted the action.
As the theme from “Rocky” played overhead, team members quickly moved from tub to tub, grabbing items. Loaded bags were gently dropped, then another empty bag scooped up to start again.
The double-fisted Terminators ended up getting the bagging bragging rights.
By all of four seconds.
The Terminator time of 1 minute, 34 seconds barely beat out the Unibaggers time of 1 minute 38 seconds.
“I’m surprised it was so close,” Ginther remarked. “But it will finally stop the boasting about the best method.”
“At least I hope it does.”
And with that, volunteers loaded cars with armloads of grocery bags bound for schools, kids and kitchens.
Team Teminator celebrates after winning the “Fill Off” grocery bag contest held Thursday by the Rotary Club of Oak Harbor. Ken Hulett (left) Kurt Schonberg (center) and Steve Schwalbe proved loading two grocery bags at a time is faster that the one-bagger method. Photo by Patricia Guthrie/Whidbey News-Times
The Food4Kids program delivers groceries to 86 students at five Oak Harbor elementary schools to help get them through the weekend. Local company, Idex Health & Science, recently donated $10,000 toward the Rotary Club program. Photo by Patricia Guthrie/Whidey News-Times
