Archive: Around Town

5th grader Ashlyn Tarbert presented her original Box Tops poster to Lansing Market Monday.  The poster won a Lansing Middle School-wide contest for original art to promote the PTSO's box top collection initiative.  Box tops for qualifying products are redeemed for cash that goes back to Lansing schools.

"Something so simple as having a box or hanging a poster for this is a basic thing for us," said Lansing Market Manager Sandro Mironti.  "Having somebody like this young lady who comes up with an idea on how to enhance the awareness of the community... it's a special thing.  We can have a sign printed up that says whatever.  But when you have a young lady like this that takes time and effort to create something that we can proudly display in our store, a community showpiece, that makes a huge difference."


The poster contest was the kick-off to a push by the PTSO to collect more box tops in February.  Participating products return ten cents for each box top collected.  They include baking goods, breakfast cereal, food storage products, frozen and refirgerated meals and food, snacks, juices, cleaning products, packaged meals, paper and school supply products, tableware, and waste bags.  As of this week the Lansing schools had collected over 22,000 eligible box tops from products, each worth ten cents toward the schools, for a total so far of more than $2,200.

"Our goal is $3,000 for the school year, but we're already well on our way," said PTSO Elementary Vice President Rebecca Lovenheim.  "We try to put it right back into the schools, this year with our STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) initiative.  We're trying to support building community in the schools and providing enrichment programs that support the school."

The Box Tops for Education™program was founded by General Mills in 1996.  Two years later 30,000 schools were participating, and using the money for books, electronic and playground equipment among other things.  By 2004 over 82,000 schools across the United States earned over $100 million from the program.  Meanwhile other brands including Pillsbury™, Old El Paso™,  Green Giant™, Ziploc®, Hefty®, Kleenex® and Scott® joined the program.  By 2010, schools had earned over $320 million in box top clippings.  To date schools have earned more than $719 through the program.  Eligible school may earn up to $20,000 from the Clip program each year.

Tarbert's poster depicts the Lansing Bobcat paw print and three boxtops, along with the Lansing Market logo.  Her prize was a goodie basket filled with snacks and treats.  She says it took her about an hour to create.

"I was just thinking about Lansing and box tops," she said.  "I decided to give it a try."

"Her poster evokes the spirit of community by encouraging others to get involved in support the Lansing schools with Box Tops for Education", said PTSO President Kristin Hopkins.  "Lansing Market sells many General Mills products that are Box Tops eligible and are also a collection site with a drop box located at the customer service desk."

Lansing Market and the Lansing Community Library are the two key collection spots for box tops.  At Lansing Market shoppers can deposit their box tops in a collection box at the customer service desk.

"We've been really grateful to Lansing Market," Lovenheim said.  "They're a very important part of our community.  They're community business partners and leaders, so we've been able to reach out to them multiple times to be able to say, what are different ways we can support you and you can support us?  A great thing about boxtops, is that obviously Lansing Market is a place for our local community to purchase products that have box tos on them.  So it brings business to Lansing Market, and also people can give back to the community."


Hopkins says the next phase is another contest between each first period class in the Middle School.  The first period class that collects the most Box Tops will a 'free homework pass' that will let students in the winning class off the hook for homework for one night.  She stresses that the prize was pre-approved by teachers.

Tarbert's poster is being framed and will be displayed in the foyer of Lansing Market.

"It will be the first thing people see when they enter the store," Mironti said.

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