Tiffany Croson of Roanoke County is surrounded by her family as she holds her prize check with Food Lion store manager Teddy Boston. Photo courtesy of Food Lion.

When Tiffany Croson and her family moved into their Boxley Hills home three years ago, the kitchen was “stuck in the 70s,” she said.

But not anymore. On Monday morning, Croson was awarded a $25,000 grand prize check in Food Lion‘s Kitchen Makeover Sweepstakes. Croson entered the contest about Mother’s Day, submitting her name and MVP card number online. Since then, she has been entered to win every time she used her card to purchase a MyEssentials product at Food Lion. MyEssentials is the chain’s new store brand.

Croson said she’s been shopping at her usual Food Lion store at 6619 Williamson Road about twice a week, but she had forgotten about the contest until a letter came in the mail in early June. When she opened the letter, she was ecstatic.

Croson

“I screamed,” she said. “I couldn’t believe it. I screamed and screamed, then I started calling people and screamed in their ears.”

Tiffany Croson and her husband, Marcus Croson, had replaced the harvest gold-colored appliances in their 70s kitchen and installed new laminate countertops. But now, she said she’s going to make all the updates she had dreamed of making, including installing a ceramic tile floor, granite countertops, a hood/vent above the stove and a bigger refrigerator. She also plans to have a wall torn out and an island added, which will be great for her family of six.

Croson, a part-time employee at The Park at Oak Grove, is taking classes to become a registered nurse. She and her husband have four children ages 20 months through 14 years. Her kids joined her at Food Lion this morning when she accepted her check, as did her parents, her sister and her nephew.

“I’m still taking it all in,” she said.

Food Lion spokesman Benny Smith said the contest was promoted in Raleigh, N.C., Norfolk, Richmond, Harrisonburg, Charlottesville, Bluefield, W.Va., Charleston/Huntington, W.Va., Chattanooga, Tenn., and Roanoke and Lynchburg. The first prize winner, Susan Barbry of Sanford, NC, will receive $10,000.