WSLS 10's Dawn Jefferies, Jeff Haniewich win Grocery Dash to help needy families

ROANOKE COUNTY (WSLS 10) - The biggest sports competition to hit southwest Virginia happened at the Bonsack Kroger on Wednesday when WSLS 10's Dawn Jefferies and Jeff Haniewich went up against Daytime Blue Ridge's Natalie Faunce and Brittany Flowers in a grocery cart challenge to help feed more than a half dozen families for the holidays.

Jefferies and Haniewich came to win.

The WSLS 10 News duo got a running start in the first Grocery Cart Challenge to benefit Feeding America Southwest Virginia.

The goal, to be the first team to pick up every Kroger item on the list.

"I noticed it says runner-up," Jefferies joked to Faunce and Flowers.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. It feels, it's really disappointing with a mix of sadness," said Flowers.

"Yes and I think there is a little bit of cheating going on," Faunce added.

There was no cheating, just strategizing.

"We are the champions my friends," Haniewich sang. "We had a really good time."

The winning strategy, divide and conquer.

Jefferies, Haniewich and Freedom First Credit Union's Dave Prosser split up on the word, "go." Prosser hit the produce and meat sections, while the newsies tackled the aisles.

It may look easy, but there were rules. The teams were required to get specific items, in specific sizes and in specific quantities.

They also had to do it quickly.

"We beat them by 10 minutes?" bragged Haniewich. "At least," added Jefferies.

Team news did.

"I want Dawn on my team next year," Faunce said.

"It was so much fun beating you guys," Jefferies joked while Haniewich jumped in to prevent his teammate from being stolen in future competitions.

"Rumor has it you're trying to take Dawn from my team. No, no," he said.

"He did well," Jefferies said of her teammate.

"I got the yams. I got the yams," Haniewich celebrated.

The teams collected cart fulls of food to feed eight Feeding America Southwest Virginia families for the holidays.

"This was awesome," said Prosser. "What a great cause this was a lot of fun A good way to involve the community."