The receipt in your pocket is worth something to a kid down the street.
Scan for Schools puts a receipt collection box in your neighborhood grocery store. Shoppers drop in receipts on their way out, we scan them through Box Tops, and every earned dime goes to local schools.
NOW DROP ME IN THE BOX
BY THE DOOR ♥
A receipt you'd throw away, turned into school funding.
No apps for shoppers, no sign-ups, no cost to the store. Three simple steps stand between a crumpled receipt and a check for a local classroom.
Shoppers drop it in
After checkout, customers drop their receipt in the Scan for Schools box by the exit. That's the whole ask — no phone, no account, nothing to remember.
We scan every receipt
Our volunteers empty the box on a set schedule and scan the receipts through the Box Tops app, which finds qualifying products automatically.
Local schools cash in
Earnings are credited to schools in the community. Box Tops mails schools a check twice a year — real money for books, supplies, and programs.
Where the money comes from →raised for local schools — a few dimes at a time, from receipts that would've hit the trash.
Box Tops for Education, doing the heavy lifting.
Box Tops for Education is a school fundraising program General Mills started back in 1996. For years it meant clipping little cardboard squares off cereal boxes; since 2019 it's fully digital — you just scan a store receipt and the app credits qualifying products to a school.
Each qualifying product is worth ten cents. That sounds small, but Box Tops appears on hundreds of everyday items across the store — cereal and snacks, plus non-food staples like sandwich bags, paper towels, and tissues — so a single grocery run can quietly earn a dollar or more.
Scan for Schools simply catches the receipts that would otherwise hit the trash and turns them into funding for schools nearby.
Scan for Schools is an independent community initiative. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by General Mills or Box Tops for Education.
Host a box. It costs you nothing and means everything.
One small box by your exit turns everyday shopping into support for the schools your customers' kids attend. We handle the rest — you just give it a home.
Zero cost, zero staff work
We provide the box and signage and send volunteers to collect and scan. Your team never has to lift a finger.
Visible community goodwill
Shoppers see your store standing behind their local schools — the kind of goodwill money can't buy.
A reason to come back
Customers hold onto receipts and return to drop them off — a gentle, feel-good nudge toward your door.
We report the impact
Every quarter we tell you exactly how much your store's box has raised, so you can share the win.
What we provide
- A clean, branded collection box built for a countertop or floor stand.
- Friendly register and exit signage that explains it to shoppers in a glance.
- A regular pickup schedule — we empty, scan, and recycle the receipts.
- Quarterly earnings reports you can post or share with your community.
All we ask of you
- A small spot near the exit or the customer service desk.
- A quick heads-up to your staff so they can point shoppers to it.
- Permission for a volunteer to swing by on the pickup schedule.
- That's it. No paperwork, no fees, no ongoing effort.
Stores hosting a Scan for Schools box.
Drop your receipt at any of these neighborhood spots. Don't see yours? Ask them to join — or tell us and we'll reach out.
The short answers.
Do shoppers need to download anything?
No. That's the whole point. Shoppers just drop their paper receipt in the box on their way out. Our volunteers handle every scan through the Box Tops app, so there's nothing for customers to install or sign up for.
Does hosting a box cost the store anything?
Nothing at all. We supply the box, the signage, and the volunteers who collect and scan. All the store provides is a little floor or counter space near the exit.
Which schools get the money?
Local ones. Earnings are directed to schools in the surrounding community, and we're happy to work with a store to feature a specific school or district its customers care about.
What about privacy — you're handling receipts?
We only look for qualifying products to scan, never payment details or personal information. Receipts are recycled promptly after scanning and are never stored or shared.
How much can a single box realistically raise?
It adds up quietly. At ten cents per qualifying item, a busy store's box captures value from receipts that would otherwise be thrown away. We report your box's totals every quarter so the impact is never a mystery.
About the Scan for Schools project
Scan for Schools was started by Amelia/Emilio Lombardini, a junior and honors student at Locust Valley High School. Outside of class, Amelia/Emilio volunteers at the local animal shelter, plays on the tennis team, and takes part in a range of after-school activities — all driven by a love of giving back to the local community.
Let's put a box by your door.
Tell us a little about your store and we'll be in touch to drop off a box, hang the signage, and set a simple pickup schedule. Community members and schools who want to help are welcome too.
hello@scanforschools.com