Latoya Mandas was only buying a meal at Subway, when the lucky army veteran won $25,000

WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE - Army veteran Latoya Mandas is a regular customer at Subway, but she never thought that her frequent visits to the fast-food restaurant would get her a $25,000 shopping spree.

Mandas looked in disbelief at the tab on her cup filled with lemonade when she read that she was one of the lucky winners of the Army & Air Force Exchange Service’s Subway Sip. Rip.

“I just went in one day for a meal, and they gave me a cup with a peel-off label,” Mandas said. “I pulled it, and I thought, ‘What is this?’”

Mandas got really excited once she realized the price was real and she wasn't getting pranked, Brandi Army, White Sands Missile Range troop store manager, said.

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The Exchange price was for a family vacation, but Mandas decided to put their winnings toward a $25,000 Exchange shopping spree with $5,000 going into an Exchange gift card since COVID-19 won't make traveling possible.

What will Mandas do with $25,000? The family is planning to upgrade their home with new furniture and electronics for their three kids.

“One’s about to go off to college, so how about a MacBook?” Mandas said.

As a proud army veteran, Mandas also plans to find a way to give back to the army community.

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The giveaway is part of the Exchange's 125th-anniversary celebration of their service to the army. The company gives a chance to families to win vacations, shopping sprees and gift cards.

“The Exchange is honored to recognize families like Latoya’s by helping them see their dreams come true,” said Exchange General Manager Michael Brennan. “Sweepstakes like these let our Warfighters and their families know that their hard work and sacrifices are greatly appreciated.”

Veronica Martinez is a trending and immigration reporter for the Las Cruces Sun-News. She can be reached at vmartinez@lcsun-news.com or @vamartinez10 on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Latoya Mandas was only buying a meal at Subway, when the lucky army veteran won $25,000

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