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MCAS Cherry Point News

 

Photo Information

Drew Long and her daughter, Caroline, maneuver through a grocery store during a shopping trip using a Caroline’s Cart March 26, 2014. The commissary at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point fielded the cart recently to assist shoppers with special needs children.

Photo by Courtesy Photo

Cherry Point commissary features Caroline’s Cart

15 Jul 2014 | Lance Cpl. Unique B. Roberts Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point

The Defense Commissary Agency teamed up with makers of Caroline’s Cart to provide the Cherry Point commissary with shopping carts designed specifically for special needs individuals.

Caroline’s Cart is a cart named after the daughter of Drew Ann and David Long, who has a disability.  Caroline’s family saw the need for a shopping cart that could transport a special needs individual through a store while shopping, eliminating the impossible task of maneuvering a wheelchair and a traditional shopping cart at the same time.  

“Placing these carts into our commissary will provide a valuable service to many military families at these installations,” said Randy Eller, DeCA’s deputy director of logistics. 

With the first 40 carts already in use, Eller plans to use feedback given by users to determine if commissaries will receive more carts in the near future.

The carts, which feature handles that swing to provide convenient access to the contoured seat,  are designed to provide low muscle tone individuals or individuals weighing up to 250 pounds with a comfortable and safe ride during shopping trips.

The commissary director at Cherry Point, Phyllis Black, is excited to see the impact the carts will have on the air station’s community.

“I requested one because this community is actively involved with the Special Olympics and I know a need for the cart is there,” said Black. “We want to provide our shoppers with a shopping experience that’s dependable and top quality. We want to be the place that shoppers choose to shop because we give them better customer service than any other store.”

Black hopes customers make use of the new cart and welcomes families to provide feedback about their shopping experience.

“For customers who have a special needs family member, shopping can be very difficult for them. They  have to either push a wheelchair and a shopping cart at the same time or have to leave their family member at home while shopping,” said Black. “It’s challenging for one person to physically maneuver two pieces of equipment and be able to do what you have to do.”

For more information about Caroline’s Cart, visit https://www.carolinescart.com


Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point