Supermarket Gift Cards: A Huge Convenience to Those on Tight Budgets

Homeless Use Gift Cards

With summer in full swing, many parents on tight budgets face seemingly small obstacles that inevitably become big problems.

When school ends every June, mothers and fathers must find sitters for their children during the day or simply leave them home alone. In addition to day care, parents also have to make up for the loss of free lunches that their children received while in school.  So, whether the kids are home alone or with a sitter, the free meals they had access to for 10 months during the school term, become a loss in luxury for the entire family.

Family Promise has been assisting struggling parents by giving them donated gift cards to local grocery stores and discount retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target. Homeless use gift cards to manage essentials.

Unlike typical food donations, gift cards provide convenience to families who might be strapped for space to store bulk items or are in need of essential foods that perish quickly.

While helping families, gift cards are also a convenience to donors who want to get involved but do not necessarily have time to shop or lack confidence in monetary donations.

With gift cards, families can buy milk, cold cuts and other perishable items on a weekly basis to prepare breakfast and lunch. They can also buy fresh fruit and vegetables which are often more difficult for donors to contribute compared to canned foods and non-food items because of their needs in terms of time and storage.

Family Promise encourages volunteers to donate gift cards from supermarkets like Shoprite and Pathmark, as well as discount retailors such as Wal-Mart and Target.  If you would like to support the gift card program, simply mail or drop cards off at: Great Football Sunday c/o Impact Consulting,172 South Clinton Street, East Orange, NJ 07018.  Be sure to mention that you heard about the program from Great Football Sunday.

Written by Sierra Smith