Meetinghouse and Westminster Elementary Schools PTO
SCRIP Program
The SCRIP program raised more than $2,000 for our PTO last year! And not one person had to buy anything they didn't need. Here's how the SCRIP program works. SCRIP is “substitute money”. When PTO members purchase SCRIP, they receive gift cards that can be used like cash to purchase products or services from merchants who have issued them.
SCRIP can be used to purchase anything from groceries, fuel, clothing, toys, and cosmetics to entertainment, electronics, home improvement, or household services. Our non-profit PTO is able to buy the cards at a discounted rate, thereby earning a percentage of all cards purchased through our PTO.
Offering freedom of choice and versatility, SCRIP is also a great gift idea for anyone and any occasion, and makes a great gift! What makes SCRIP a valuable and effective fundraising tool for our PTO is that as people use it to buy their favorite products and services, they generate all or a portion of the much needed funds for the projects and programs we support.
SCRIP users in Westminster range from people who buy a few gift cards for the holidays to people who know that they shop at a certain number of the same stores over and over again, so they keep a few cards in their wallet at all times. Favorites include Dunkin' Donuts (4% goes back to our PTO), CVS (6%), Barnes & Noble (9%), Burger King (4%), D'Angelo (10%) and Shell, Exxon, Mobil, Circle K and Sunoco gas (varying %).
There is even one Westminster parent who buys all of her gas, toiletries (CVS gives 6%), household and paper goods (Walmart is 2%) and groceries with SCRIP cards (Stop & Shop and Shaw's net us 4% each), sending a healthy profit to our PTO every month.
Our PTO is fortunate in that we have some very generous local merchants including Wachusett Mountain (10%), Allure Salon (10%) and the Colonial Hotel in Gardner (20%). Think ski passes, holiday gifts and out-of-town visitors!
Try our SCRIP program. You'll be glad you did. It's another way you can help our PTO by doing something you are already doing. Check out the list of participating vendors at www.shopwithscrip.com. Watch your child's backpack for regular SCRIP order forms. During the holiday season we order twice a week! If you have more questions, contact Sarah Paiste.