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Schools

It's Easy to Support Schools While You're Shopping

With our public schools closed for the Thanksgiving break next week and the holiday retail season kicking up, why not spend a bit of time shopping to support them?

Novato public schools are closed all next week for Thanksgiving break. Are you old enough to remember getting only two days off for Thanksgiving? Me, too. Many of us will take advantage of the break to hit the stores to make a dent in our holiday shopping. A few of us will be crazy enough to head down to Disneyland. In a car. Filled with children. For many hours.

If you’re one of the not-so-crazy ones who will be opting for shopping instead, how about first taking the time to sign up for a couple of programs that kick back money to local schools? It’s easy to do, and once you’ve signed up, there’s no need for you to do anything else but spend money at places you already shop online and in person. A portion of your purchases will go back to the schools.

Take a look at eScrip, which essentially “establishes relationships between commerce and community.” Since 1999, schools have received $250 million through the eScrip program. You register your grocery store cards and credit cards, you choose the schools you want to receive money, and then you shop. Merchants who participate in the program make contributions to the schools you choose. That’s it.

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You can head to eScrip right now and sign up. I’ll save you the step of looking up the codes for the schools; just look at the PDF I’ve uploaded, find your schools, and enter the codes. I’ve even hyperlinked the school names for you. Can’t decide what school to give to? Select School Fuel, and make a difference in all of Novato’s public schools.

Box Tops for Education

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Another consistent way schools get money is through the Box Tops for Education program. But I’ll save you the trouble of clipping those 10-cent Box Top coupons off boxes and just send you over to the market place section on its website. Click that link, and you’ll land on Step 1 of registering, where you select the schools you want to get the Box Top kickback. Enter “Novato, CA” and you’ll be brought to the list of schools. I won’t bore you with the step-by-step details.

Once you’ve registered, head to the Shop Marketplace section under the Earn tab up top, and you’ll see the list of retailers. Best Buy is there. So is Justice. And Dell. And Disney. And Staples. And so on and so on.

You’re going to be shopping anyway, right?

And don't forget ...

* Today, Nov. 18, is the last day to dine at and help San Jose Middle School. Don’t forget to take the flyer with you.

* Did you see the about last Thursday’s Vets & Cadets event?

* Finally, if you have an upcoming school fundraiser, shoot me an e-mail, and I’ll do my best to include it. E-mail me by clicking on "e-mail the author" next to my byline on this story.

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