Save Mart Supermarket on Geer Road celebrated its grand re-opening on Wednesday by giving away free groceries, making charitable contributions, and holding a grocery-bagging competition between members of the city’s police and fire departments.

“We're excited to bring Turlock an even better shopping experience while staying true to the local values our customers know and trust,” said Daniel Moore, group vice president of operations for Save Mart. “This re-opening is our way of saying thank you to a community that’s supported us for more than 50 years.”

The re-opening kicked off with free bags of groceries for the first 100 customers who made a purchase. And guests were shown the store’s refurbished meat and produce sections, as well as a beer section that is now two times bigger than before and features more local brands, including all of Dust Bowl’s offerings.

Later in the morning, members of Save Mart’s leadership team, along with Mayor Amy Bublak, Chief of Police Jason Hedden, and Fire Chief Shanon Evans, joined other Turlock dignitaries for the ceremonial ribbon cutting ceremony in front of the store’s main entrance.

“Save Mart is making a huge commitment to our community and that makes me so proud,” said Bublak. “They could have left this store as it was, and people still would’ve shopped here, but they knew that Turlock needed and deserved it and they came through in a big way.”

And, according to Moore, Save Mart will double down on that commitment to Turlock with plans to renovate its supermarket on Lander Avenue in the near future.

Bublak was glad to hear that.

“I have no problem supporting Save Mart… as long as their lettuce continues to be good for my (pet) tortoises,” the mayor quipped. 

Save Mart on Wednesday doled out $1,500 checks to five local organizations: Turlock Hornets Youth Cheer and Football, Turlock Unified School District, Stanislaus County Office of Education Homelessness and Food Insecurity Resources, Turlock Community Theatre, and Turlock Gospel Mission.

However, there was no doubt that the main event of the day was the bagging competition between fire and police personnel, with each team competing for a charity of their choice.

The competition began with each team’s cart filled with about $250 worth of identical items, and the team to most quickly bag the groceries — neatness was a factor — was declared the winner.

In the end, the firefighters were victorious, and received $2,000 from Save Mart for Random Acts of Kinds, while the police officers received $1,500 for Operation Blue Santa.

All the groceries from the competition were donated to Stanislaus State’s Warrior Food Pantry.

Hedden joked that the results of the competition may change the way he conducts future job interviews.

“An applicant’s grocery-bagging history has to be part of our interview process from now on,” Hedden said with a grin. “This was an awesome event. Everybody was excited and energetic about it, and at the end of the day, this all goes to the Warrior Food Pantry, which is an amazing program. I had the opportunity to tour the pantry recently, and I’m super proud that we could be part of this.”

At the conclusion of the official bagging contest, Save Mart President Jim Perkins called for an impromptu bonus round, which resulted in another $1,000 worth of groceries being collected for the pantry.

“What I really liked is that they brought so much energy today,” said Perkins, a native of Sacramento who grew up in Tennessee. “And it wasn’t just students. It was professionals, who know what these kids need. So I said, ‘Why don’t we give them a round?’ And it was interesting to see what they selected.

“It’s not about the money; it’s about doing the right thing for the community.”

Since frozen items were not utilized for the bagging competition on such a hot day, Save Mart provided the Warrior Food Pantry with $1,000 in gift cards to purchase such items at a later date.

“Some of the staples we need include eggs, cheese, milk and frozen protein,” said Heather Pearson Villeda, Director of Basic Needs at CSUS. “But logistically, that would not have worked in terms of food safety — having cold items sitting out and not being sure how long they would be out. So, Save Mart communicated to us that there would be some gift cards, but we didn’t know it was going to be $1,000.”

All told, Save Mart’s total philanthropic donations reached $13,606 for the Turlock community, with more than $2,600 going directly to the Warrior Food Pantry.

“I often hear family members, faculty and staff and community members say, ‘(A food pantry) was not a thing when I was in college and it would’ve helped tremendously,’” said Pearson Villeda.

Save Mart’s family-oriented programming will continue through August, including the Turlock Moms Club’s “Snack to School Showdown” being held today, plus additional product sampling and special Friday giveaways.

Through Sept. 16, shoppers can take advantage of exclusive offers including five-times loyalty points on qualifying purchases and a $40 discount for first-time online pickup orders. The store caters to seniors with 5 percent savings every Tuesday and discounts for Stanislaus State students with a valid ID.

“Things are tough out there, and we’re trying to help the best way we can,” said Perkins.