GrunBun90 (@grunbun90) went to a church in Derry, Pennsylvania, hoping to strike it lucky with a $200 grocery loot box. Instead, she alleged she received groceries worth less than $20 and that the pastor turned her away.<\/p>\n
“They advertised that the middle-class America, you donate $20 for a donation, and it buys your food for the next few weeks, because it is a $175-200 value for this box of food,” GrunBun told TikTok.<\/a> She chose to show what she got in the box instead.<\/p>\n “I donated my $20, and I got a four-and-a-half-pound bag of Chick-fil-A fillets and twelve biscuits,” the woman said, gesturing to the two plastic bags on her table. She said that they were donated by a Chick-fil-A program called ‘Shared Table.’ In addition to the biscuits and fillets, GrunBun also received one can of cream and chicken soup, a six-pack of Clover Valley toaster pastries, oatmeal cookies, a bag of popcorn, a fist-sized donated dessert from an unnamed bakery, a liter of Crush soda, and six rolls of toilet paper.<\/p>\n “Now, because me and Dylan were so excited at the prospect of getting $200 worth of food for 20 bucks, because that would save our family of nine so much, he got one as well,” GrunBun shared. She said her partner received a five-pound pack of deer meat, allegedly donated by local hunters. He also got one cinnamon roll, a pound of oatmeal, a pack of fudge cookies, a six-pack of Clover Valley toaster pastries, chicken noodle soup, Chick-fil-A waffles, and a Mountain Dew Baja Blast.<\/p>\n “Please, tell me who? Who is getting that to stretch? That is not $200 worth of food,” GrunBun alleged. She was disappointed because she thought her family would receive a good deal on groceries.<\/p>\n A church under fire<\/p>\n “We are not looking for a handout. We were not like, ‘Give us free s***.’ We were thinking, because they advertised it, that we would get a $200 grocery value for $20,” she said. GrunBun said she raised the concern with the church’s pastor because she felt deceived by the program. At times, value deals can be overpromising,<\/a> as one sociology student pointed out while examining Dollar Tree rice packaging. But in this church’s case, GrunBun alleged that the pastor told her off after she expressed her frustration.<\/p>\n “We are not a food bank, and I’m done with you, so go,” GrunBun recalled the pastor’s alleged remark. She further alleged that the pastor claimed that the 4.5-pound bags of Chick-fil-A fillets were worth $100, and that he paid $50 out of pocket for each bag.<\/p>\n But GrunBun cited the Chick-fil-A ‘Shared Table’ program to dispute the pastor’s claim. According to the Chick-fil-A website,<\/a> Chick-fil-A restaurants pack their surplus food. Then, they donate it to local organizations as a charitable act. These organizations include food banks, churches, and non-profits.<\/p>\n “Meaning, they get these for free,” GrunBun argued. The pastor allegedly tried to appease her by offering another bag of chicken. However, GrunBun clarified that it wasn’t about the chicken.<\/p>\n Feeling robbed<\/p>\n She was upset that the church allegedly advertised its program incorrectly. “People are gonna come here, thinking that this $20 is worth $200, and it just isn’t,” she added. Based on her Google searches and ChatGPT queries, GrunBun believes she was handed dollar-store items worth less than $20.<\/p>\n “I feel like you’re scamming people. I’m sorry,” GrunBun commented. But she isn’t the only one who felt robbed. Another woman from Florida took her dying cat to a vet, only for them to serve her a $700 bill before treating her pet.<\/a><\/p>\n