Around 30 people gathered in Huntington Village Tuesday evening for the semi-annual Young Professionals Scavenger Hunt, an event where locals support neighboring businesses and round up school supplies for donations.
Teams of four lined up on Main Street to receive the first of three clues, each hidden in small white envelopes. The clues, or riddles, led to a total of six business destinations on the scavenger hunt list.
Members of the Young Professionals Committee, an extension of the Huntington Township Chamber of Commerce board, waited at various checkpoints to help team members earn points.
To score points, groups had to bring school supplies, take selfies wherever they found clues, and collect receipts for every item they buy in the village.
All donated items are handed over to the Scott Martella “Supply Our Students” Drive, which honors a member of the Young Professionals Committee, who was killed in a car crash three years ago.
Each year, the committee hosts events with a charitable component. Some of these include toy drives, food drives for the Little Shelter Animal Rescue & Adoption Center in Huntington, and gift cards for nonprofits based on Long Island.
At last year’s scavenger hunt, the committee was able to collect 300 items and tally receipts from the village worth over $2,000. This year, they accumulated 255 school supplies.
Courtney Bynoe, the associate director of the Chamber of Commerce, says the scavenger hunt helps local businesses and young professionals network with one another while they support a good cause.
“We have heard that some of the team members have become regulars in some of the stores after discovering them at a scavenger hunt,” Bynoe said. “It gives the businesses an outlet to highlight something special about their store as well what the teams need to find.”
During the five-hour event, each enterprise presented a challenge contestants had to complete, which involved finding missing items like a rubber duck or an Eiffel Tower replica. Stores that participated in the scavenger hunt were the Six Harbors Brewing Company, Rotisserie Banks, Sur, LIFT, Chez Laa Reine Boutique, and TOA Asian Fusion.
“A lot of the teams have never been to some of these establishments, so they’re exposed to something they’ve never been to,” Steven Hearl, a member of the board, said.
The winning team was announced at the Business Blender, a part of the event where all the participants come together. The Funmojis, a group that’s won for three consecutive years, came in first place.
Together, the group donated over 100 items of school supplies, collected 89 shopping receipts, and visited all six scavenger hunt locations.
“Part of winning is getting points, so we spend money at the places,” Andrea Bonilla, a member of the Funmojis, said. “And then we also donate a lot because that’s extra points.”
Upcoming events hosted by the Young Professionals Committee include a Chamber Networking Breakfast on June 12 and Business After Hours at Main Street Board Game Cafe on June 19.