Westmount fundraising efforts easy on everyone
Shannon LeClair
Times Reporter
Fundraising can be a tough and tedious task, and there is always the concern not enough people will say yes to help. Westmount Elementary School, in collaboration with Sobeys, has found an easy way to fundraise by offering something everyone needs, groceries.
“We approached Neil (Kennedy) just to see if there was some kind of a fundraising thing we could do with Sobeys. He broached the idea of this grocery card program with us,” said Wayne Funk, principal of Westmount. “Neil’s going above and beyond for the amount of work that he’s doing with us and it’s just a phenomenal fundraiser for us, really easy and great partnership for us and Sobeys and it’s lucrative for us, it works well.”
Families can sign up for a predetermined amount of groceries a month, for example $400 a month and they can pick up the gift card at the store at the start of the month. The families pay the school directly for it, and Sobeys gives the school a 10 per cent discount. If a family were to buy a gift card for $500 a month for 12 months, they would raise $600 just by buying groceries, with no negative cost to them.
“It’s a program we will offer to any non profit group, so it’s not something that’s just exclusive to Westmount. They are the only group in town that has ever participated in it, and I guess I got involved mostly because that’s where my children go,” said Neil Kennedy, owner of Strathmore Sobeys.
By the time all of his children are done school he will have had one at Westmount for 19 years, which he said is why he thinks he pushed a little harder with them.
“We tell parents, if you spend $800 a month on groceries, well don’t buy an $800 card, buy a $400 card so you have some flexibility. If you know you’re going spend at least that minimum $400 to $500 it’s an easy way to fund your children’s school, or group,” said Kennedy.
The cards don’t expire and can be used at any Sobeys in Western Canada. At Westmount it is school council orientated, and Funk said everything is running smoothly with it now. Last year the school managed to raise over $11,000 using the program, and eliminating the need for other fundraising initiatives.
“For the most part it’s a really slick system now, it works really nicely. People are buying their groceries locally and helping to support the school at the same time. It’s a win-win no brainer,” said Funk.
“If we can fundraise through this Sobeys plan $13,000, then the school council feels they have no other need to fundraise.”
Most people sign up for nine months, which is the school year, or can do a 12-month commitment as well. Funk himself uses the card and said every month a portion of the money he spends on groceries comes back to the school.
“They are open to people who aren’t Westmount parents as well. If there are grandparents or anybody who buys their groceries at Sobeys and wants to chip in they can stop in before the 18,” said Funk.
The final day to get an order in for the cards and to help the school is Sept. 18, though anything that comes in the morning of the 19, will still be accepted.