RENVILLE -- Carolyn Lindquist says she was amazed and shocked when she was notified in early November that she had won $5,000 in grocery gift cards in the Minnesota Farmers Feed Us "Free Groceries for A Year" sweepstakes.
Lindquist collected her prize Saturday at Maynard's Food Center in Renville and was one of two winners drawn from more than 75,000 entrants into the farmer-sponsored contest. The other winner, Catie Fisher of Elysian, was announced Thursday at the Cub Foods store in Eagan.
Lindquist, of rural Granite Falls, signed up for the sweepstakes at the Minnesota State Fair and figures the award is more than a year's worth of groceries for herself, her husband Steven and their daughter.
The Lindquists' businesses, TV Unlimited and Travel Now, are just down the street from Maynards, where Carolyn stops often anyway.
"I shop there most every day," she said Monday, expressing gratitude to the sponsors of the award, which will help give the family a much-needed boost after Steven was off work for four months due to a back injury. He was hurt in a tree-trimming incident in May.
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Lindquist, who has known since early November that she had won, wasted no time in spending some of the winnings. She bought $450 in groceries on Saturday and shared in the bounty by buying gift bags for the children of her church.
The Renville County Food Shelf is also a winner. The sponsors have awarded the food shelf $500 in grocery gift cards to provide food for needy families.
The Farmers Feed US campaign was supported in Minnesota by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, Minnesota Pork Board, Midwest Dairy Association, Minnesota Soybean Research and Promotion Council, Minnesota Farm Bureau, Minnesota Corn Growers Association, Minnesota Turkey Research and Promotion Council, Broiler and Egg Association of Minnesota, Minnesota Beef Council and Gold n' Plump.
Residents of Minnesota were invited to visit www.FarmersFeedUS.org to register for a chance to win. While doing so, they also had the opportunity to meet nine Minnesota farmers and watch video tours of their farms. Each video explained how the farmers produce safe, nutritious and affordable food for Minnesota consumers.
And while the sweepstakes registration period is over, the website, featuring information about agriculture in the state, will remain live.
