Pittsfield Kiwanis is Selling Gift Cards for Hollday Fundraiser By Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
02:37AM / Monday, December 07, 2020 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — This holiday season, the Kiwanis Club of Pittsfield will be partnering with gift card fundraiser ShopWithScrip to raise money for projects that support local children.
These gift cards are for more than 750 national retailers and restaurants such as Amazon, Starbucks, and Walmart.
They can be sold in the form of physical gift cards that can be reloaded or electronic gift cards that can be purchased and used on smart phones.
For every gift card purchased, ShopWithScrip pays the club a rebate that they receive from the retailer or restaurant varying from 2 percent to 20 percent. The buyer receives a gift card at full value and the Kiwanis earn money for it.
Every month, the Kiwanis will receive a check with the rebate amount earned that it can then put toward helping local children.
This is a simple, socially distant way to raise money for the club, as making everyday purchases with these gift cards benefits the Kiwanis.
Just last month, Kiwanis sold more than 400 flags for its 11th annual Park of Honor ceremony at Park Square that benefits scholarships for children and grandchildren of veterans. The club has raised more than $1 million for scholarships in the decade.
"At the holidays, we usually only do the Park of Honor for scholarship fundraising," Kiwanis President Cheryl Tripp Cleveland said. "This year, we had lots of plans for fundraising, but of course this year hasn't been really co-operative."
Because of COVID-19, the club was not able to carry out its big plans for fundraising, which sparked the decision to partner with the gift card fundraising service so that it can raise money in a safe manner.
For many years, the Kiwanis has held a Bike Safety Rodeo and Bike Safety Day at the First Street Common, where free bike helmets were given away and children could enter for the chance to win a new bike.
The Kiwanis normally holds an annual free holiday party for kids that features games, crafts, free refreshments, music, raffles, a special appearance, and a holiday gift for each child.
The organization has also sold pies for fundraising around Easter and Thanksgiving, but weren't able to do so this year.
The enrollment code for this fundraiser is 87866L1775597
For more information call Vickey Pires-Mazzer at 413-822-1390, email vickeymazzer@gmail.com or visit www.pittsfieldkiwanis.org.
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