Last year’s challenge pitted Kane County Board member T.R. Smith (right) against Elgin Community College President Dr. David Sam. (CREDIT: Kane County Farm Bureau)

Let’s get ready to rumble — supermarket sweep-style — for a good cause.

At 10:30 a.m. Friday, Feb. 9, the Kane County Farm Bureau will host its 17th Annual Food Check-Out “Challenge” — a shopping spree to benefit local food pantries, at the Batavia Jewel-Osco on Randall Road at Main Street.

The shopping spree runs in tandem with Food Check-Out Week, which teaches Americans how to stretch their grocery dollars with healthy, nutritious food.

The two celebrity “combatants” this year are Kane County Board member Theresa Barreiro, shopping on behalf of the Marie Wilkinson Food Pantry in Aurora, and Elburn Village President Jeffrey Walter, spreeing on behalf of the Elburn Food Pantry.

The public is invited to come watch the public officials race to collect food to help restock the shelves of the two above-mentioned food pantries. All of the groceries collected during the 5-plus minute spree are then purchased by the Farm Bureau and donated to respective pantries.

The Kane County Farm Bureau says the average American household spends less than 10 percent on of their disposable income on food, which is the lowest of any country. And the Food Check-Out Challenge is one way to recognize the achievements of farmers in Kane County and throughout the nation.

“The foundation of our well-being as a society depends upon the domestic production of food,” the Farm Bureau said in a news release announcing the event. “And 2018 is a time to celebrate the abundance of fresh and nutritious food available to consumers at affordable prices.”