GILROY
– Christmas music filled the air in Safeway supermarket
Saturday, but the west-end Gilroy store wasn’t piping carols
through its overhead speakers.
GILROY – Christmas music filled the air in Safeway supermarket Saturday, but the west-end Gilroy store wasn’t piping carols through its overhead speakers. Rather, the music was being performed live, thanks to dozens of members of the Gilroy High School marching band.
The performances were a thank you to the store, which has used a fund-raising program called eScrip to help the Mustang band raise a projected $10,000 to $30,000.
“We’re not putting out a bucket. We didn’t even have a sign up last weekend. This is a just a straight out thank you to the store for being so cooperative,” parent and vice-president of the band’s booster club Bill Wagner said.
Weeks before the band played carols and performed solos and duets in the lobby of the store, Safeway allowed the band members and booster parents to sign people up for eScrip outside the store. Roughly 1,000 people registered for the eScrip program during those days.
“We will continue to do other fund-raisers, but considering that the booster’s club annual budget is $30,000 to $35,000, this is a big deal,” Wagner said.
The money the band boosters raise goes toward, among other things, transportation to and from field show competitions, uniforms, concert costs and equipment repairs and purchases, Wagner said.
By registering store membership cards in the program, eScrip allows customers to earn money for a designated group. When a customer makes a purchase, they use the registered card and a percentage of what they spend gets automatically deposited into the group’s account.
“It’s a great way to support an organization without spending an extra dime. It’s the participating businesses that actually make the donations,” Wagner said.
Safeway manager Alicja Rudnicka, who was instrumental in allowing band supporters to garner sign-ups in front of the store, called the thank you performances the past two Saturdays a success.
“It was nice to see the group give back. I heard many customers comment about how nice it was to hear the music,” Rudnicka said. “There was a very positive atmosphere and it put people in a Christmas mood. Even people who didn’t have kids in school were happy to see the band perform.”
For more information on how the eScrip program can support the GHS marching band and color guard, call Wagner at 848-2630.
