Shopping online? Send money to local schools
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LAKE COUNTY – Online retail is often seen as an arch nemesis of mom and pop stores, but if entering cyberspace for deals is a necessary evil this holiday season there is a way to make sure at least some of the dollars sent zooming across the globe make their way back to Mission Valley.
It’s as simple as going online and registering an email address with the
General Mills Company five minutes before shopping.
In 1996 the General Mills Company began labeling its products with 10-cent redeemable coupons that customers could cut out and donate to their local schools. The initiative was dubbed the Box Tops for Education program, and since that year Lake County Schools have received more than
$23,212.90 in funding. It’s an amount equivalent to more than 200,000 individual Box Tops.
The program also has an online component, where percentages of sales from more than 400 online retailers can be donated to local schools, but this opportunity is largely underutilized locally, with most districts having received none or only pennies of their Box Tops contributions from the program.
Ironically, online earnings are often more than the 10 cents clipped from a purchase in the store. For instance, Nook offers 40 cents to schools for every 10 dollars spent. If a person purchased the $149 Nook HD, $5.96 would go to a school of their choice.
Registering takes approximately five minutes and includes an option to receive alerts about giveaways and sweepstakes in addition to an extensive list of exclusive weekly coupons.
To find out more visit: www.boxtops4education.com.
