Have you wished that you could do more to help support your local schools? Now is your chance!
With the school year getting back in gear, retail establishments are once again promoting their efforts to help support local non-profit organizations, including the school system. If you would like to help support your favorite school, all you need to do is link your savings card or credit card to your school and the store will do the rest!
Here are some local Raleigh area stores, what they do and how you can sign up to help give back to your community. Many of these stores and programs are regional or nationwide, so check for your neighborhood schools as well!
Harris Teeter
Last year alone, Harris Teeter gave over $1.5 million to area schools, and they have given more than $11.3 million in the 11 years since they started their Together in Education program in 1998.
Whenever you use your VIC card and purchase Harris Teeter brand products (excluding certain items such as bulk items or random weight), a portion of the money you spend will be donated to the school of your choice. Here is a full list of participating items and more details of the program.
Together in Education runs August through May each year and you must link your VIC card with your school each year. For a list of participating schools and to link your VIC card, click here. There are no fees to be a part of the Together in Education program, just shop like you normally do and watch the funds for your school rise!
Food Lion
The Lion Shop and Share program will donate up to $350 to your non-profit organization or school each quarter. Each time you shop at Food Lion and use your MVP card, a portion of the total of your grocery bill will be donated to your school or other non-profit organization.
To participate in Lion Shop and Share, there must be a minimum of 25 MVP cards linked to your organization, so make sure that you tell all of your friends to sign up!
This program runs from August to May each year, for more details, please click here. If your school is not currently signed up for the Lion Shop and Share program, here is the application to get you started. Participation in the Lion Shop and Share program is free, so sign up and support your school today!
Lowes Foods
Club Cash is a program your school can participate in for fundraisers. When your school signs up to be a part of Club Cash, your school can buy $500 or more in Lowes Foods gift cards for a 6% discount and then sell them to the community for face value. Your school, or other non-profit organization, keeps all of the profit. Some schools say that Club Cash is one of the easiest fund raisers they have participated in since every needs to buy food!
If you are interested in signing your school up for this fundraiser, click here for an application.
You may also donate Green Points to your local charities and schools. If your favorite charity or school is a participant in this program, log on here to donate Green Points for food and household needs.
Target
Target's Take Charge of Education program has been in effect for 10 years and has given back more than $229 million to schools. Any school that signs up for the Take Charge of Education program will receive 1% of all REDcard purchases made either in store or online at Target and 1/2% of purchases made elsewhere.
So if you have a REDcard, make sure you designate your favorite school to receive a percentage of your daily purchases. One local school, Pittsboro Elementary, has already received more than $400 in Sept and almost $3500 for the 2008 year, through its 24 participating REDcard holders.
If you have a Target REDcard, you can be a part of this program by signing up here. For more information and to see your schools earnings, click here. Supporting your local school through your REDcard is free, and there is no limit on how much it can earn, so sign up today!
These are just a few examples of programs offered through local stores. Since each of these programs is free, you can sign up for all of them and triple your efforts of supporting your local schools, just by making everyday necessary purchases!
Thank you to each of the participating companies for giving back to the communities!
If you know of any other programs that we missed, please be sure to let everyone know by commenting or emailing...
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