Big food drive for Carl Perkins tied to scavenger hunt
For those who have been following the “Be A Giver” Scavenger Hunt on Facebook and who are always on the lookout for that elusive, hidden envelope, the biggest hunt of the year is underway.
According to Huntingdon resident Chad Barnhart, who started what has become a pastime (or even an obsession) for many locals in December of last year, he hid the year’s final envelope sometime Saturday morning somewhere in Huntingdon.
And this one is a doozy with a $1,500 cash prize (the biggest cash prize yet), as well as a free family photography session at Misty White Photography in Bruceton, going to the best (or the luckiest) hunter.
Barnhart has posted clues on his Facebook site, which, if interpreted correctly, can lead to the hidden treasure.
It must be stated, however, that we at the News-Leader went to press early this week because of the holidays, so that coveted envelope may very well have been found already by the time this newspaper hits the stands.
So if you’re that big winner, congratulations!
But if it’s still out there to be found, there is a way to get an extra advantage and help local children and families at the same time.
According to Barnhart, he will give a bonus clue to anyone who donates at least 10 items to a special food drive to help children and families served by the Carl Perkins Center in Huntingdon.
Paul Hugueley, school resource officer at Huntingdon Middle School, is overseeing the drive, and donated items, including canned and other food items and personal hygiene products, are being housed at the middle school.
Hugueley said that, as of Thursday, over 3,000 items had already been donated, making it the biggest food drive ever for Carl Perkins.
Hugueley also pointed out that Josh Hicks and Nathan Burns both pledged matching cash donations, giving one dollar for every two items donated up to $500 apiece – money that has gone into the pot for the current scavenger hunt prize.
Barnhart said he is pleased that people are coming up with creative ways to tie charitable giving to the scavenger hunt – which, along with promoting unity in the community, is the main reason he started the whole thing.
“It’s really growing and spreading out,” he said.
The scavenger hunt’s most recent winner is 30-year-old Huntingdon resident Heather Gurley, who just happens to be our office manager here at the News-Leader.
According to Gurley, she found the hidden envelope with some help from her two-year-old son, Cooper, at around 6 p.m. on Thursday buried under a rock and some leaves beneath a tree outside the county fire station beside the civic center on Mustang Drive.
Her winnings included an extensive list of donated items, gift certificates, and free service offers provided mostly by local individuals and businesses.
Gurley, who has been participating in hunts since they started, said she was more than a little excited when she uncovered the envelope.
“I was jumping up and down in the dark,” she said.
As Gurley detailed, it was a photo Barnhart posted of a fireplace that prompted her to search around the fire station, though she admitted that she completely misread the other clues.
“I just lucked out,” she said.
