Thank you to General Mills® for sponsoring today’s post. All content is 100% original and honest. Pinky promise.
Has school started for your kids yet? We’re working on week three of being back in the school year routine around here. So far, it’s been going well. Big J is getting used to a little more rigorous schedule than his carefree summer days and the little boys and I are starting to work out a little routine of our own while Big J is in school. The hardest part for me has been getting back into the laundry routine – gotta keep those uniforms coming fresh from the dryer. But the easiest part has been something I haven’t stopped doing for years, even before my kids were in school: collecting Box Tops for Education labels.
If you aren’t familiar with the Box Tops for Education labels, let me give you a little background information. It’s a loyalty program for grades K-8. You’ve seen the pink and white labels while you’re out at the store on select General Mills products, yeah? You can cut those little labels out and turn them in to your school (or a local school, if you don’t have kids in grades K-8). Each of these labels is worth $0.10 and the school can use that money however they best see fit. The program started in 1996 and over 80,000 school participate! You might think ten cents isn’t worth it; but, since 1996, over $525 MILLION dollars has been contributed to making our schools better places for our kids to learn.
I’m no stranger to the pink and white labels. I have been helping collect them pretty much since the program began. Ever since I had younger siblings in school collecting them, and now that my boys are starting to collect them, it’s just been something I do. When I was in college, my youngest sister was just starting elementary school. Her kindergarten year, my mom volunteered at her school as the Box Tops Coordinator. She ended up doing this every year my sister was in K-6 grades. Basically, she got to collect all the labels when the kids brought them into the teachers, count them up and then turn in the paper work so the school could get their money. I lived at home my freshman year of college and was tasked with helping count the labels. It took several hours and was mildly tedious, but it was very rewarding to see what the school could do with this money. The year I helped count the Box Top labels, they earned over $700 and the school was able to install some new playground equipment for the kids. Every time I drive by and see that playground equipment, I can’t help but smile a little and remember that it was the families attending that school that put it there. Even after I moved out and got married, I still collected them and sent them to her. Ten cents may not seem like a lot, but I’ve seen what it can do. And, sometimes, you can find products with BONUS Box Tops. There is a little certificate with a code on it worth a little extra!
I love the variety of products that contain Box Tops labels. I don’t have to sacrifice nutrition for the labels. But, if I do splurge a little, I still get Box Top labels on those products too. And it’s not just food! General Mills® products are one of the awesome brands with Box Tops labels and my family loves General Mills® products, so it’s easy to collect the labels. My family enjoys awesome, quality products and we can earn money for our school! I’m all for anything that helps make my job as a mom a little easier.
I love that I can help out my children’s school simply by feeding my family. I don’t have large chunks of change I can donate to the school, as I’m sure most don’t. I love that I can still help and General Mills® makes it easy to collect box tops. Much of what I already buy has Box Top labels on it and it’s just a bonus, since I would’ve bought it anyway. You can find more information on With their earnings from last year, Big J’s school was able to keep their Physical Education teacher this year, for which I am so thankful. Last year, they upgraded the computers in the computer lab. The year before that, they used the money in the library. I love so much that the schools can use the money where they need it. Every school is different and so are their needs. Maybe it’s buying supplies, maybe it’s updating the teacher’s lounge, maybe it’s on the playground. Whatever it is, they can use this money to make it happen. It’s a very small sacrifice to collect Box Tops for my children’s school and the rewards are ten-fold.
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of General Mills®. The opinions and text are all mine.
