Everyone Wins
Source:
Kroger
Everyone Wins
Gift Cards Help Local Families Pay Tuition
The Kroger Co.’s unique gift card fundraising program has helped many schools, churches and organizations raise money to help offset their operating costs. The premise is simple. The money spent in store by the group’s supporters is tracked through gift cards, and then sent to the organization when it totals $5,000. It’s a real win-win-win situation. Supporters pick up groceries, their group receives the funds, and The Kroger Co. is happy to make it all possible.
But three schools in Ohio have put an even more altruistic twist on the program. St. Joseph School in Sylvania, St. Catherine School in Toledo, and the Mansfield Christian School all use gift cards to help families pay for tuition. Here’s how they do it:
- The schools receive Kroger gift cards marked with a unique UPC, and then pass them out to families wanting to participate in the program.
- The families take the cards to the store and load them up with their grocery money. Each time the family shops, the amount spent is tracked and credited to the school account.
- When the school receives the money, they also receive a statement of how much each family spent. Instead of putting the money in a general fund, these schools directly credit the participating families’ tuition accounts.
Over the past year, the families of the St. Joseph School have collectively earned over $95,000 for tuition, while Mansfield Christian School families have earned $73,720 collectively.
“This program has really made a difference in the lives of many families,” said Carol Miller of St. Catherine School. “They no longer have to make as many sacrifices to pay for tuition. It’s like their money is worth twice as much because they can put food on the table and pay for their child’s education at the same time.”
“We’re so grateful to The Kroger Co. for this program,” added Miller. “It’s really a tangible way to show our students that their community values their education.”