A Jacksonville service club has found a new way to help others while navigating the COVID pandemic.
The Jacksonville Sunrise Rotary Club is using a new approach aimed at supporting United States military personnel by using coupons. The club will be collecting unused manufacturer’s discount coupons at locations in the Jacksonville area.
Club President Jay Jamison says club member Jane Becker first suggested the idea as the club was brainstorming for ideas of how to continue it’s mission of service to others, without the usual means of fundraising, something Jamison says has been difficult during the COVID pandemic.
“Service clubs are having difficult times having fundraisers now, because all the fundraisers we used to be involved in would involve large groups, and you can’t have that these days. Meanwhile we support our community, we are writing checks like we do to many organizations here in town we support.
And so we have to find a way to keep supporting our community, supporting people, and Jane came up with this idea that she spotted somewhere and I thought it was a brilliant idea because it’s neither a fundraiser, nor is it doing what we ordinarily do.”
Jamison says the club is asking the public to save their manufacturer’s coupons which the club will then collect and catalog by type, which will then be sent to military members and their families.
Jamison says the idea is a win for everyone involved.
“This way we can be both doing service and doing what our job is as Rotarians which is service above self, while at the same time we don’t have to have a big fundraiser or anything like that.
It’s a win win for everybody, it helps service members who can go to their commissaries both in foreign bases and in bases here in the United States for Army, Navy, Marines, Air force, all of them and help make ends meet. And people who are donating these will be people who are otherwise throwing these manufacturer’s coupons out.”
Support Our Troops based in Daytona Beach, Florida is the coordinating organization for collecting and distributing what become known as Troopons. Jamison says Sunrise Rotary has seen a great response from local businesses who are willing to serve as drop off locations including:
The MBroidery Shop, Jacksonville AMVETS, Jacksonville County Market, Jacksonville Wal-Mart (at the service desk), Jacksonville American Legion, Jacksonville VFW, Gordon Jumper CPA, PermaBound, Hamilton’s, House of Ink, and at Production Express.
Jamison says no restaurant or local business coupons can be accepted, only manufacturer’s coupons please so they may be used anywhere.
He says the red, white and blue collection boxes will be at all of the locations by Veterans Day, Wednesday, November 11th.