9:35am | Twenty Long Beach schools have raised a combined total of more than $27,300 thanks to residents who shopped at area Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets during the store’s third annual Shop for Schools program.
Candace Jacobson, a spokeswoman for Fresh & Easy, said that each school can use the funds for whatever it needs most.
Kindergarten through eighth grade schools located within a three-mile radius of any Fresh & Easy store can participate in the Shop for Schools program, Jacobson said.
Some 1,466 schools throughout the state participated in this year’s fundraising program, earning more than $1.3 million, she said.
Here’s how it works: For every $20 spent at a Fresh & Easy store between a set time-frame (this year the program was held Sept. 15 through Dec. 31, 2010), participating schools received a $1 donation.
In addition to collecting receipts, registered schools could also participate in Shopping Nights, which provided an opportunity to raise even more money, Jacobson said. On each school’s designated shopping night, five percent of the total sales made between 4 and 8 p.m. at the local Fresh & Easy store closest to that school was donated to the school.
“We are thrilled to be involved in our local school community and be a part of schools continued success through Shop for Schools,” said Shop for Schools Regional Coordinator Angelina St. Pierre in a statement. “Schools in our neighborhood continue to struggle for funding right now and we are proud we can be part of the solution by giving back to local schools.”
Shop for Schools was launched as a pilot program in spring 2009, raising more than $130,000 for schools in California, Nevada and Arizona. Fresh & Easy brought the program back in fall 2009, raising another $670,000 for local schools.
Jacobson said that the market plans to offer online registration in mid-May for next fall’s fundraiser.
Additional information can be obtained by visiting FreshandEasy.com/