AGING AGENCY SETS BENEFIT FOR PICNIC, BINGO FOR SATURDAY

A special picnic dinner for the public and free bingo for senior citizens Saturday could net as much as $4,000 for the Southeast Missouri Area Agency on Aging.

Sam's Wholesale Club, a new retail business scheduled to open in Cape Girardeau this month, and the Missouri Area Agency on Aging, will sponsor the fund-raising event Saturday afternoon at Sam's Wholesale Club adjacent to Wal-Mart near the Interstate 55/William Street intersection.

Sam's Club will match the amount raised at the event up to $2,000.

The picnic dinner will start at noon. Hamburgers, hot dogs, cookies, popcorn, potato chips and soda will be sold through 6:15 p.m.

Free Bingo games, for senior citizens only, will be held from 4 to 4:45 p.m. and from 5:30 to 6:15 p.m.

Sam's Wholesale Club will provide prizes to all winning seniors. There will also be a special cover-all game at the end of each 45-minute bingo session.

Chris Soppe, marketing manager for Sam's, invites everyone out for the event.

Sam's Club, a $2.9 million, 114,000-square-foot facility, will officially open April 23, with a 9 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Sam's, a division of Wal-Mart Stores Inc., is the largest members-only buying club in the nation, providing name brand merchandise at warehouse prices to businesses and selected employment groups.