Official’s loyalty points benefit kids in need

Three years of a community leader shopping at an Interlachen grocery store helped feed Putnam County children this week. 

County Commissioner Larry Harvey bought 2,200 packets of tuna fish from Hitchcock’s Market in Interlachen and donated them to Feed the Need of Putnam County on Monday. He purchased the tuna using 25,000 loyalty points he accumulated by shopping at Hitchcock’s.

“I didn’t want to use them for personal gain,” Harvey said of the points. 

The commissioner set his sights on helping Feed the Need, 110 N. State Road 19 in Palatka, and bought all the tuna packets he could. 

Feed the Need Executive Director Denise Bramlitt said the organization needs nonperishable products like tuna to put in backpacks full of food that are sent home with food-insecure children every weekend. The purpose is to ensure children will have food to eat on the weekends when they can’t count on breakfast and lunch being served at school, she said.  

“I was like, ‘Wow, I didn’t even know you could do that, to purchase stuff,’” Bramlitt said. “I knew you could buy certain stuff, but I had no idea (about this much food).”

Harvey said he worked with the Interlachen store manager, Brandy Degeyter, to make the donation possible. The tuna packets were originally on sale at two packets for $1, but Degeyter marked the cost down to 25 cents per packet because Harvey bought all 11 cases of the store’s tuna.

“It’s an incredible thing for him to do,” Degeyter said. 

She said she always sees Harvey shopping for cookouts and community events. After a while, his points finally accumulated, Degeyter noted. 

She said he’s been trying to find a way to use his loyalty points for something other than himself.

“He does a lot for a lot of people,” Degeyter said. “When he comes here, sometimes there’s customers that need groceries and stuff. And he’ll come in and he’ll buy their groceries. That’s what he does.”

Anyone who has signed up for Hitchcock’s loyalty program can follow Harvey’s lead. Degeyter said all people need to do to register is provide an email address and phone number. 

Every dollar someone spends earns them a point, and for every 500 points, people get $10 off an order, she said. 

Hitchcock’s corporate office sends out different deals, including ones where buying an item earns the purchaser double points, Degeyter added. 

This month, Feed the Need is asking for breakfast bars, and anyone can donate to the Palatka location, which is also the Bramlitt’s Plumbing & Electric warehouse. People can donate money by mailing checks to Bramlitt’s Plumbing & Electric, P.O. Box 132, Palatka, FL 32178. 

If people learn how a Hitchcock’s card can be used to help people in need, Harvey said, they might be inspired to use their points to buy items to donate. 

“I don’t know if people think the way I do, but maybe a little encouragement might help people, you know,” Harvey said. “It’s just an idea.”