The season for giving has almost arrived, but Fuquay-Varina resident Robin Boraski has already begun. Boraski won a Bob Barker employee contest by developing a way to help her company’s customers prevent the spread of flu, and she turned her reward into a means of donating to the Fuquay-Varina food bank.

Each quarter, the Bob Barker Company, a supplier of detention facilities, hosts an employee contest for potential new products. The employee with the best idea is named Innovator of the Quarter, and part of the reward is a prime parking spot for the entire quarter. Boraski won this quarter’s contest by developing the idea of a flu prevention kit to include with company’s line of admission and personal care kits.

“With more cases of flu being reported, we have seen a significant increase in the sale of hand sanitizers, face masks and other infection control products,” said Greta Roach, Bob Barker marketing manager.

The flu kit soon will be available for sale nationwide and could contain items such as a face mask, anti-bacterial hand sanitizer, medical-grade exam gloves, surface sanitizers, disinfectant sprays and cleaners.

“Especially in detention facilities where the outbreak of flu can have dire consequences, we feel Robin’s product suggestion offered our customers a convenient and immediate solution to help them combat the spread of the flu as well as other infectious diseases,” Roach said.

Boraski, an application developer with Bob Barker, said the idea for the product came from an e-mail her son’s college sent. Boraski rented out her reward of three months’ use of a coveted parking space for a weekly rate of five boxes of Hamburger Helper. She donated the food to the local food bank. “There’s a true need in our community for food supplies right now,” Boraski said. “It’s a little thing, but everybody can help, especially over Thanksgiving.”