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By Ashton Varner
At this point in my life, I am not often able to give back with money. Instead, I dedicate time and effort to the causes I support. However, several companies have programs that let me give back with the purchases I already have to make for myself. I am able to choose from large-scale charities as well as local non-profits.
This how-to guide is written for people like me who find it difficult to donate monetarily as well as people who want the dollars they were spending anyway to go even farther. Registration for both of these programs is easy and 100% free. First, Fred Meyer Community Rewards
Let’s start with Fred Meyer Community Rewards which donates “over $2 million each year - up to $550,000 each quarter - to the local schools, community organizations and nonprofits of your choice.”
Here’s how to do it: 1. Get a Card To sign up for Community Rewards, you’ll need a Fred Meyer Rewards Card, which is totally free. These cards can be given at the register or at the customer service desk. 2. Register Your Card Once you have a rewards card, register it online here. You’ll be able to connect your card to your personal information. Address and phone number are very important in making your life easier. When you attach an accurate mailing address, Fred Meyer will send you monthly coupons that are specifically targeted to you based on the purchases you’ve made in the past. For some, that might sound a bit Big Brother but I’d prefer to receive coupons I’d actually like to use (for instance, produce & dental floss) than a random new product companies are trying to incentivize. Quarterly, you’ll receive a rebate voucher if you’ve earned 500 or more rewards points in that quarter. When you register your phone number to your card, make your wallet lighter by leaving the physical card at home. Your phone number becomes your “Alternate ID” which you can type into the card processor at the register in the grocery store to be sure you are receiving your points and even at the gas pump to redeem your fuel points. You’ll also be able to add digital coupons to your account and have them melt away from your total at the register. Further questions? Read the FAQ here. 3. Enrolling in Community Rewards Once you’ve registered, follow this link or 1. Click on the logo below, then select “My Account” from the drop-down menu. 
2. Find “Community Rewards” on the left side of the screen.
3. Click “Enroll”.
4. Choose a Non-Profit
Fred Meyers has 1730 pages of non-profits to choose from! These organizations span from Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Your choice doesn’t have to be in the town you are currently in as long as it’s on the list. Search in the “Find an Organization” box or “View By Type” to see genres of non-profits. Tip: Search by agency name, zip code, city or state. 
Once you’ve found the agency you’d like to support, click “Enroll”.
That’s all - you are set! As long as you swipe your card or enter your alternate ID at the register, your agency of choice will start earning from your purchases.
You can keep up with your previous quarter’s earnings on the same Community Rewards page. 5. Changing Non-Profit Selection
You can change your agency selection at any time. Simply click “Change Organization” and select a new agency. Or click “Cancel Enrollment” to stop earning altogether. 
Next, Amazon Smile
The only difference between AmazonSmile and the original Amazon is the web address, smile.amazon.com. The shopping and checkout interface all stay the same. The only change that you as a consumer have to make is to shop and checkout through smile.amazon.com rather than amazon.com. You’ll be using the same Amazon account you always have!
In their own words, “When you shop at smile.amazon.com, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added bonus that Amazon will donate a portion of the purchase price to your favorite charitable organization.” AmazonSmile has over one million organizations to choose from. These include local agencies as well as those with worldwide reach. Eligible products are marked “Eligible for AmazonSmile donation”. Of those products, AmazonSmile Foundation donates 0.5% of the purchase price, which is the amount paid for the item minus rebates, shipping & handling, gift-wrapping fees, taxes or service charges. Here’s how to sign up: 1. Sign in at smile.amazon.com
2. Choose a Charity
You’ll be prompted to select a non-profit, either a spotlight charity or use the search bar. Tip: Search by agency name, zip code, city, state or cause. 
Hover your mouse over “About” to read more about the organization and click “Select” to choose.
On your AmazonSmile impact page, you’ll be able to see what your purchases have contributed. You can also change your chosen charity.
To access this page another time, hover over your “Account & Lists” on the top right side of the webpage. Nearly halfway down the list, select “Your AmazonSmile”.
3. Bookmark the Website.
To make it even easier to shop through AmazonSmile and be sure your purchases are supporting non-profits, you can add a bookmark to your favorite browser or follow these steps found on “Your AmazonSmile” page. 
Finally, Charity ListsAnother charitable option AmazonSmile provides are called “Charity Lists”. Think of it as a wedding registry for charities. They select items they need from Amazon products and supporters can purchase those items in various quantities which will then be delivered directly to the charities.
1. Find a Charity
Browse by “Cause” or use the search bar. Tip: Search by agency name, zip code, city, state or cause. 
2. Select a list.
3. Go Shopping Based on Their Needs
4. Shipping
Be sure when you check out that the items meant for the charity are being shipped to the agency’s address. 
5. Continue to Checkout as Usual
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By Ashton Varner, VISTA Team Leader '19-20
The 2019 Community Needs Drive was even bigger than 2018! We owe our success to our team and so many other community members.
Thank you to Love In the Name of Christ of the Tanana Valley for hosting our event, even though you had only recently moved into your location. Thank you to The Salvation Army - Fairbanks Corps for providing hot drinks, bottled water and snacks for our volunteers and donors.
Thank you to everyone who helped me promote this event: Julie Doll who passed out flyers in parts of the community that are hard for me to reach such as military bases and Salcha, Rob Prince of KFBX 970 for having us on morning radio, Cheryl Upshaw for the fantastic piece in the Daily News-Miner and Andrew Hawkins at News 11 for helping us make the 7 o’clock news.
Thank you to the donors who brought bags, boxes and totes full of items.
95% of our requests were filled and some donations came all the way from Nenana! Thank you to the 10 local non-profit agencies who participated and allowed us to serve them through this event. We appreciate the work you do in our community all year round.
If you are still interested in donating, please see our list of requested items, contact the agencies directly and ask if they still need specific items.
See you next year!By Ashton Varner, VISTA Team Leader '19-20Many know Fairbanks for its -40 degree winters. However, the community is much warmer than the weather it is known for. No matter its size, it has a small town vibe. It will not take long to win a 6 Degrees of Separation game. People know one another, neighbors look out for each other and we want each other to succeed.
Kim Green began pursuing her GED in 2012 but did not find success until years down the road. She knew having an education would help her get a better job but it was hard.
Those who guide adults through GED programs understand. Lisa Cogen began tutoring English at the Literacy Council of Alaska in 2017. She says school gets harder as a person is older due to the responsibilities life brings.
In 2017, Kim received a note from her doctor stating that, for a time, she would not be able to work. Her public assistance case worker pushed her to try to get her GED again.
Kim agreed. She didn’t want to waste time while she was out of the workforce. “I couldn’t do nothing,” she said. That’s when Kim first met Lisa as her English tutor. She said Lisa was a good teacher who took time to break down concepts that tripped up her students. Kim appreciated the one-on-one care Lisa took with her. Lisa saw potential in Kim. “I remember having good questions from her,” she said. Unfortunately, Lisa did not get to see Kim through her GED journey. Kim became pregnant with her son and had to put her studies on hold. As a teacher, not seeing final results can be a hazard of the job. Lisa takes moments of affirmation where she can, loving the moment when she watches students start to care. It helps to be around like-minded people such as her fellow tutors at the Literacy Council. “They’re excited about it,” she said.
Lisa embraced the rare moment of seeing a finished chapter. “I was a little, little piece of that,” she said. “It’s cool that she persevered.” Since earning her GED, Kim has noticed the benefits. “It opens up a lot of opportunities for me,” she said. “I think it helped me land [the VISTA] job.” She plans to continue her education with the AmeriCorps VISTA end-of-service education award. Her interests include Certified Nursing Assistant certification and childcare. Post-VISTA, Lisa has returned to her position with the borough school district as a special education teacher. The AmeriCorps VISTA of Fairbanks office thanks Lisa and Kim for their summer service and wishes them all the best in their future. |
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