CUMC’s Scrip Program uses gift cards you purchase at CUMC and then “spend” at local retail businesses when you shop for gas, groceries, clothing, books, movie tickets, restaurant meals and so forth.
The only difference between these gift cards and those you can purchase directly from the retailers is that when you use them, a percent of your purchase comes back to the church (current examples: ARCO gas: 1.5%; See’s Candies: 20% !).
You redeem the cards for their full face value at the stores, buying what your family needs, and giving to the church at the same time. Half of the rebates go to the Annual Operating Budget and half to the Foundation. It’s as good as “found-money” … a no-pain, no-strain, way to give … no website logon needed, and no password to remember!
Example: When a family purchases scrip for their grocery shopping, say $100 a week at Albertsons (which currently offers a 4% rebate), that store will rebate $208 over the course of a year to CUMC, and the family will not have spent any more for those groceries by using scrip than they otherwise would have. If 100 like-minded families do the same Albertsons, the church could benefit to the tune of $20,800 in a year!
Here are a few of the local businesses that currently accept scrip … you can check here for participating businesses and current rebate percentages:
Albertsons, Stater Brothers, Vons, ARCO Gas, Amazon.com, Home Depot, Lowe’s, iTunes, JoAnn’s Fabrics, Michaels, Sam’s Club, Sears, See’s Candy, Barnes & Noble, Bed Bath and Beyond, Coco’s Restaurant, Olive Garden, Sears, Starbucks, Smart & Final, Staples, Land’s End, L L Bean and many others!
You can order scrip on the patio between Sunday services or by sending an email to Sylvia Van Houten, the Scrip Program Coordinator, at sylvia.scrip@gmail.com. Most of the scrip is available on Sundays. If it is not, you can place an order on Sunday and pick up your scrip order the following Sunday.