Giving on a budget
Like many people, for most of my adult life I lived paycheck to paycheck with just enough money to get by. I would tuck away small amounts whenever possible - saving for the inevitable rainy day or for a large, planned expense. While I didn’t have a lot of money to give, I always had the heart and desire to give to others less fortunate than me; this desire was instilled in me by my parents.
I grew up in a large family of limited means, but my parents always opened their home to others in need, they shared the bounty of their garden and the fruits of their labors. My parents worked at the Masonic Home, but we lived nearby on a large farm with a stream-fed pond and acres of grass. With those natural resources at his disposal my dad raised beef cattle for the missions through Steer Incorporated. It was one way he could help others - making a big impact for a relatively low cost. It also fulfilled his lifelong desire to farm and practice animal husbandry. He grew and baled his own hay and alfalfa, treated animals with his own vet services, and put a lot of love and sweat equity into raising his herd of 30-60 cattle. It was just one way my dad found to “give on a budget”.
Since I was blessed with a small pocketbook and a large heart, I was always looking for ways that I could be of service or help others without a large outlay of cash. A few years ago, I heard about Scrip - a fundraising program that was being used at the churches that my friend and my sister attend. Scrip is a gift card program - participants purchase gift cards and their organization (St. Luke’s) receives a rebate based on those purchases. I loved the idea that I could purchase physical or eGift cards for stores or services that I was already using, but now St. Luke’s would receive money for my expenditures.
Example of how I use Scrip:
I regularly shop at Cub Foods. Cub offers a reloadable card through Scrip, so after receiving the physical gift card from Scrip, I have continued to add funds to the card via Scrip’s RaiseRight App on my cell phone. Funds can usually be added to cards in $10 increments. Cub offers a 4% rebate, so St. Luke’s receives $4 for every $100 added onto my Cub card. From November of 2020 to date, St. Luke’s has received $100 in rebates just from purchases that I made on my Cub gift card. I also use Scrip cards when shopping at Target, Walmart, Best Buy, Land’s End, Home Depot, Amazon, Taco Bell and Red Lobster. I love that I can contribute to St. Luke’s coffers while stocking my cupboards and filling my belly.
Since November, I’ve been doing a (very) slow roll out of the Scrip program to members of St. Luke’s. With seven families participating, to date we have raised over $550 in net proceeds for St. Luke’s. If you are interested in the program, you can check out their website at: www.shopwithscrip.com. You can learn a little bit about the organization under “About Our Company” and review the retailer list (approx. 700+ vendors) and the types of cards offered under “Quick Links”. You can also contact me at bevyb2@hotmail.com for more information or to request an invitation to enroll in St. Luke’s Scrip program.
Blessings,
Bev Brosam
Missions
Like many people, for most of my adult life I lived paycheck to paycheck with just enough money to get by. I would tuck away small amounts whenever possible - saving for the inevitable rainy day or for a large, planned expense. While I didn’t have a lot of money to give, I always had the heart and desire to give to others less fortunate than me; this desire was instilled in me by my parents.
I grew up in a large family of limited means, but my parents always opened their home to others in need, they shared the bounty of their garden and the fruits of their labors. My parents worked at the Masonic Home, but we lived nearby on a large farm with a stream-fed pond and acres of grass. With those natural resources at his disposal my dad raised beef cattle for the missions through Steer Incorporated. It was one way he could help others - making a big impact for a relatively low cost. It also fulfilled his lifelong desire to farm and practice animal husbandry. He grew and baled his own hay and alfalfa, treated animals with his own vet services, and put a lot of love and sweat equity into raising his herd of 30-60 cattle. It was just one way my dad found to “give on a budget”.
Since I was blessed with a small pocketbook and a large heart, I was always looking for ways that I could be of service or help others without a large outlay of cash. A few years ago, I heard about Scrip - a fundraising program that was being used at the churches that my friend and my sister attend. Scrip is a gift card program - participants purchase gift cards and their organization (St. Luke’s) receives a rebate based on those purchases. I loved the idea that I could purchase physical or eGift cards for stores or services that I was already using, but now St. Luke’s would receive money for my expenditures.
Example of how I use Scrip:
I regularly shop at Cub Foods. Cub offers a reloadable card through Scrip, so after receiving the physical gift card from Scrip, I have continued to add funds to the card via Scrip’s RaiseRight App on my cell phone. Funds can usually be added to cards in $10 increments. Cub offers a 4% rebate, so St. Luke’s receives $4 for every $100 added onto my Cub card. From November of 2020 to date, St. Luke’s has received $100 in rebates just from purchases that I made on my Cub gift card. I also use Scrip cards when shopping at Target, Walmart, Best Buy, Land’s End, Home Depot, Amazon, Taco Bell and Red Lobster. I love that I can contribute to St. Luke’s coffers while stocking my cupboards and filling my belly.
Since November, I’ve been doing a (very) slow roll out of the Scrip program to members of St. Luke’s. With seven families participating, to date we have raised over $550 in net proceeds for St. Luke’s. If you are interested in the program, you can check out their website at: www.shopwithscrip.com. You can learn a little bit about the organization under “About Our Company” and review the retailer list (approx. 700+ vendors) and the types of cards offered under “Quick Links”. You can also contact me at bevyb2@hotmail.com for more information or to request an invitation to enroll in St. Luke’s Scrip program.
Blessings,
Bev Brosam
Missions