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Kroger & Caroline's Cart Helps Individuals with Special Needs go Grocery Shopping

For parents of children with special needs a simple trip to the grocery store can be a challenge. Stop into any grocery store in America and you will see a large percentage of people shopping with their children. Kroger and many other grocery stores are now giving the same opportunity to individuals with special needs. For many parents, their child has outgrown the seat in the cart or any carrier attachments provided. With no shopping cart that their child can comfortably fit in parents are often forced to leave their child at home. In this situation, a child will not be able to participate in an important household chore and develop essential life skills.

About Carolines Cart

Enter Caroline's Cart. Caroline’s Cart is a shopping cart created for children with special needs. It provides parents and caregivers a viable option to transport a child through a store while grocery shopping, without having the impossible task of having to maneuver a wheelchair and a traditional grocery cart at the same time. It is named after Caroline, a special needs child of Drew Ann and David Long. “This was 1,000 percent out of need,” Long said. She became inspired by the idea in 2007, but it wasn’t until 2011 that the first cart hit stores. During those in-between years, Long was perfecting her design and navigating the cart manufacturing industry. Eventually, Technibilt — the largest shopping cart manufacturer in North America — signed on to help out.

Kroger Gets Involved

Kroger is the first large grocery chain to invest in Caroline's Carts and make it possible for individuals with a variety of disabilities to be included in a shopping experience. “three or four years ago we would totally avoid going grocery shopping,” said Sharon Tonnies, Mother of 10-year-old Carter. "The sensory overload was a huge challenge for him as well." After talking about her struggle at the grocery store to a few close friends, she was introduced to Caroline’s Cart by a friend in Florida who had used one of the specialized carts there. Tonnies went online and was amazed to see how many Kroger Stores carry Caroline's Cart. Watch the video below to see why Sharon drives farther to visit a Kroger that offers Caroline's Cart. Find a Kroger store near you that offers this service!