The Village Food Markets’ Dairyland Milk Money program has supported a variety of local school efforts since it’s inception three years ago.
Over the years, the Milk Money program has injected a total of $17,000 into local schools.
“The Village Foods Milk program is a program we are very appreciative of here at Sooke Elementary,” said Terri Rowe-Boizard, Sooke elementary school Parents’ Advisory Council (PAC) president, via email.
Rowe-Boizard said funds have been used in the past to fund field trips, school-wide events, presentations as well as playground upgrades.
According to Denise Umbach, former John Muir elementary school PAC vice-president, funds from the Milk Money program -- along with fundraising dollars --have gone toward updating technology in the school.
She said in the last two years, two Elmo overhead projectors and three Smartboards have been purchased.
Lisa Simmonds, former Ecole Poirier PAC treasurer, said the milk money is put into the budget, along with other monies, to fund a variety of initiatives including a lost lunch program, extracurricular activities and field trips.
The money is also used to purchase Smartboards.
“We put Smartboards in as many classrooms as we can. We usually try to buy two per year,” Simmonds said.
According to Scott Logan, part owner of Village Food Markets, the Milk Money program is funded by profits that would normally be absorbed by grocery stores.
“It’s a percentage of money that would normally come to us that we donate back to the schools,” he said.
The program is simple: When customers sign up for a customer card, they select any local school they want to support within Sooke and Port Renfrew.
From a two litre milk sale, 15 cents is donated and from a four litre milk sale, 25 cents is donated.
“We feel great (about it). We’re the first store in Canada that started a program like this,” Logan said.