MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan --
The Defense Commissary Agency held its annual local community Easter egg hunt at the commissary here March 27.
Karen C. Chaney, commissary store director here, said with the help of the station’s commissary employees and their industry partners, the 2010 annual Easter egg hunt went as planned.
“I think the event went well,” said Chaney. “The children always enjoy running out all their energy on the yard.”
The hunt was broken into two age groups. The first hunt began at noon for ages 2-5, and the second hunt began at 2 p.m. for ages 6-10.
The Easter egg hunt took place on the front lawn of the station’s commissary. Plastic eggs were hidden in bushes and small trees for age groups 6-10 and more visibly in the grass for ages 2-5.
Not only were the eggs filled with candy, but those who found shiny golden eggs were also awarded with small Easter-related prizes such as pens and small toys. Larger prizes such as Easter decorated paddles and umbrellas were given to those who found the non-shiny golden eggs, which were scarcely distributed around the lawn.
“Our industry partners and the commissary try to give back to the community and all our patrons who shop at the commissary,” said Chaney. “We also like to give back to our little warriors and make sure they know that they’re special too.”
At the end of the hunt, there were raffles for the young competitors to win Easter gift baskets and PEZ dispensers.
Children were given the opportunity to compete in a jelly bean contest. The contest consisted of children guessing how many jelly beans were in a jar on the prize table. The child with the most accurate estimate would win a prize basket and PEZ dispenser.
Children weren’t the only ones getting some of the commissary’s donated goods. Complimentary hot dogs, chips and drinks were offered to everyone who attended the event.
“We have these events to benefit our armed-service community,” said Cynthia S. Blair, commissary store deputy here. “We like to help our community and let them know how much we appreciate them.”
Although the commissary staff played a huge role in preparing the event, both Blair and Chaney said the biggest amount of help came from their industry partners.
“Everything that we need to run this event successfully comes from our industry partners,” said Blair. “We could not have done this without them.”
The commissary’s industry partners provided all items from plastic Easter eggs to complimentary food.
Blair said the laughter and excitement the children displayed confirmed a successful event to her and the commissary staff.
The Easter egg hunt was just one of many events the staff has planned for this year. The commissary will also be hosting events for the major holidays including Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
“DeCA is all about taking care of our armed services and taking care of our community,” said Blair. “This event gives us a way to say thank you for shopping at the Iwakuni commissary.”