“We’d never won anything before,” Olive Duits explained from the produce section of the 100 Mile House Safeway on Thursday, July 5.
That changed the morning prior when Safeway staff phoned to say she’d won their Cadbury bike raffle.
The simple call turned emotional after Duits shared her story.
The Duits family’s Sheridan Lake home burned down on July 30, 2016.
They did not have insurance at the time so they lost everything.
Exactly one year later they were evacuated because of a wildfire that took their land but spared the cabin they were living in and the home they were rebuilding.
“We’re trying to get back on our feet,” she said.
The Duits family has 11 children: six who have married and moved away and five who still live at home.
Of the kids living at home, their daughter Elizabeth was the only one without a bike.
“We feel it’s really special and an answer to prayer that we got this bike,” said Duits.
Steph Kostiuk, the store’s assistant manager, said there were easily over 200 entries for the purple Cadbury bike.
One fell out of the pile, he said, but they stopped and reshuffled before pulling out Duits’ winning receipt.
“This was so meant to be,” he said.
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Safeway’s store manager, Jon Graham, said they’d originally planned to draw a winner in August, but changed it up and drew early so the winner could have the summer to enjoy their prize.
“It worked out well,” said Graham.
He said the store has been trying to get more companies to step up for the community. Cadbury, Frito Lay, Coca Cola and Old Dutch have all committed to offering prizes to be raffled off, according to Graham.
“It’s something little we can do to thank people that come in our store and that’s big for us,” he said.
Duits said she had gone to Safeway specifically to buy chocolate bars.
“Our children love chocolate,” she said. “Every night after supper, everybody gets five pieces.”
Hundreds of customers who purchased Cadbury products during the campaign put their receipts into a drop box.
Duits said she was surprised and happy when she got the news.
She said the staff member who called, Jennifer Berrett, was telling everyone in the store that Duits had won.
“I think everybody’s sharing our happiness,” she beamed.
beth.audet@100milefreepress.net
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