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Snack stand pays off in big way

5 min read

Growing up, I worked many hours in the neighborhood grocery store owned by my grandmother. I also spent countless days working for a guy who delivered chips and all sorts of various snacks to local supermarkets, taverns and clubs.

So, I guess that it was fitting at some point I would be able to use some of the skills I learned in those jobs. It all came together for me when I opened a snack stand in the newsroom to raise funds for our team in the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life fundraiser.

I started out small, just selling assorted chips and nuts. But as I began trying to increase our revenues, I branched out to just about anything I could sell and make a profit on. That included small candy bars, crackers, cakes, cookies, pastries, pretzel rods, Slim Jims, and Pringles, to name a few.

I also start feeling a little guilty, selling all of those sweet treats in the name of the American Cancer Society, so I decided to start selling fruit. Needless to say, they didn’t sell nearly as well as the sweet treats, but it soothed my conscience a little to know that I was helping to give people some healthier options.

In time, I began to understand what all grocery store owners must experience to some degree. Basically, I tried to keep up what my customers wanted, but that was a lot easier said than done. There would be a run on certain items, so I’d load up on them, only to watch them sit idly. What happened? Who knows? But as any grocery store manager will tell you, the last thing you want is to have merchandise just sit there.

At times I questioned not only my math skills but my sanity. So, as some people have asked, why do I keep doing it?

Well, I tell them there are two reasons. One is Denise Smiley, and the other is Neil O’Keefe.

My wife, Linda, and I were best friends with Denise and her husband, Doug, back in the day. We had kids the same age, and they attended the same school. We did everything together and always had a great time. Denise was funny and smart and was just a great person.

However, at the age of 38, and with no real warning, she was stricken with pancreatic cancer. Within a year she was gone. It was heartbreaking to watch Denise and her family go through this unspeakable horror. It’s been 15 years now since she died, but my memories of those days are still fresh.

My brother Neil had been having some back aches four years ago, but he didn’t think much of them. Who doesn’t have back pain from time to time. However, he started having breathing problems and went to the hospital. They did some testing and found out that he had bone cancer, which was rapidly spreading throughout his body. Within two weeks of going into the hospital, he was gone.

It was incredible that he had died that quickly. He died far too young at the age of 58. I still think of Neil all the time and the terrible fate that befell him.

With both Denise and Neil, there was nothing I could do but watch helplessly as they suffered. There’s not a worse feeling in the world.

So, when I heard about Relay for Life, I decided to get involved. At least I could do something to help someone. It was too late for Denise and Neil, but the money raised through the fundraiser could help countless others avoid the same fate.

The Relay for Life fundraiser here will be held this year at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, Aug. 9-10. It lasts 24 hours, beginning 10 a.m. Saturday and lasting until 10 a.m. Sunday. For more information see the Relay For Life of Fayette County PA Facebook page or call 724-834-9081, extension 65287. You can also call 1-800-227-2345, which is the American Cancer Society’s hotline for anyone with any questions related to cancer.

So far, Relay for Life has raised almost $5 billion since it began in 1985. Think about that for a minute.

Here in Fayette County, the Relay for Life fundraiser has raised somewhere around $2.5 million since it began 20 years ago.

At the Herald-Standard, we’ve raised almost $40,000, mainly through the snack stand, since we started our team in 2000. Thanks very much to the Herald-Standard employees for their support of the stand over the years.

The dollars add up, and the best thing is that every day there is more good news about the treatment of all types of cancer. Cancer is no longer the death sentence it used to be. Progress is being made.

And if my snack stand helps that progress in anyway, then I’ll keep running it. I know Denise and Neil wouldn’t want it any other way.

Mark O’Keefe is the editorial page editor of the Herald-Standard.

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