Four-Year-Old Petitions NYC Supermarket For New Bulk Vending Machine

NEW YORK CITY -- When four-year-old Mason discovered the bulk vending machine in his local grocery store was missing, it was cause for deep concern. A vended gumball was his traditional treat for good behavior during shopping expeditions with his mother. But somehow bulk vending had been overlooked when Best Market recently moved into the Food Emporium space at 316 Greenwich St. in Manhattan's TriBeCa neighborhood.

Something had to be done. Mason and his parents came up with the idea of a petition.

Taking the petition to school, he gathered signatures from preschool classmates, and then handed it off to the store manager. Surprisingly, the handwritten document found its way to Best Market's upper management, who promised to replace Mason's beloved bulk vender. Within two weeks, it appeared. The store, which operates the charity machine, will donate all proceeds to the Food Bank for New York City.