PLEASANTON — Shoppers got a dose of pop stardom with their groceries Tuesday when singer-songwriter Avril Lavigne visited a new Safeway to help kick off the chain’s national fundraising campaign for the disabled.
Showing she wasn’t too proud to mess up her trademark long blond hair, the 27-year-old singer mixed it up in a celebrity grocery bagging duel — only to be bested by former San Francisco 49ers player Dwight Clark.
“Avril is so cool. Loading the groceries shows she is just like one of us,” said Haley Dean, a freshman at Foothill High School in Pleasanton.
Dean heard of the singer’s surprise visit from her mom just in time to catch a ride to the store along with two friends who also are big Lavigne fans.
Lavigne, the mega-platinum singer nominated for eight Grammy Awards, dropped by the new Safeway on Bernal Avenue to help the chain launch its annual Support for People with Disabilities program benefiting Easter Seals and the Special Olympics.
As part of the campaign, shoppers who donate $5 are rewarded with a code allowing them to view backstage videos of Lavigne.
Lavigne, who has her own foundation to benefit people with disabilities, was a woman of few words Tuesday as she appeared on a temporary stage with executives from the Special Olympics and Easter Seals.
“I’m honored to be here,” said the Canadian-born star who started performing as a child in a church choir.
Honor was harder to get in the celebrity grocery bagging contest.
Despite robust cheering from fans, Lavigne’s efforts bogged down as she struggled to not smash a bag of marshmallows with a 2-liter bottle of soda.
Rob Sotomayor, of Pleasanton, praised Lavigne for being a good sport and posing for a photo with him.
“I’m a big fan,” Sotomayor said. “Unfortunately, my friend had a problem with the camera and the photo didn’t come out.”
