Slamming the Lid on Labels for Education

For as long as I can remember, I have been cutting the labels off of my empty Campbell’s Soup cans to save them for my local grammar school as part of Campbell’s Labels for Education program. In the program, schools collect the labels and redeem them for school necessities, like blackboards, film projectors and other AV equipment, as well as volleyballs, basketballs, mats and other gym equipment.

I would religiously cut off the label, put it in the corner on the counter with my Chinese restaurant menus and McDonald’s coupons, and every few weeks, when I had more than a few, I would take them to church and drop them off in the Campbell’s Labels for Education box in the back of the vestibule (actually a converted shoe box with a slot cut in its lid). It was usually overflowing with labels from  various Campbell’s soups, pork & beans, Spaghetti-Os, [the former] Franco-American gravy and Pepperidge Farms cookies and frozen cakes.

About six months back that box disappeared, so I just left my labels on the big wooden table where it had been.

Then a few weeks ago while wandering through Kmart on my way into the office I noticed the little Labels for Education coupon on the back of Pepperidge Farm cookies was missing. It was also not visible on Campbell’s new Well Yes! line of ready-to-serve, canned, better-for-you soups. I did some snooping in my local Acme and did not see on Campbell’s Tomato or Chicken Noodle soups either.

I reached out to Campbell’s and got the following response:

“After thoughtful consideration, we decided to end the Labels for Education program in July 2016. The program has lost momentum and relevance with our customers and consumers. We are not walking away from education and will continue to support schools though ‘Grand Stand for Schools,’ where we award $1 MM in prizes to schools across the U.S.”

Well, this was news to me! I am not so sure if it was also news to the priests in my church or whomever has to clean off that table in the vestibule of the church, but I guess that’s my punishment for not going to mass religiously every Sunday, or at least listening to the homily or the announcements from the pulpit when I do attend.

I think this will also be “breaking news” to at least some retailers, including one of the ShopRites I visit. When I was in there a few weeks ago, I saw they were still using soup set dividers proclaiming “Campbell’s Labels for Education” on their sides.

I also wondered if Campbell’s lead was being followed by arch rival General Mills, manufacturer of the Progresso brand, and originator of its own Box Top For Education program across its myriad consumer brands, including the Betty Crocker family of products.

I contacted General Mills and got some good news.

“Schools are finding it increasingly challenging to fund everything they want to do for our kids so the resources Box Tops For Education provides are critically important,” said Maria Lopez-May, who leads the Box Tops For Education program at Minneapolis-based General Mills. “Over the last 20 years, Box Tops For Education has donated more than $787 million to K-8 schools in the U.S. There are millions of dollars in Box Tops sitting on store shelves right now and there is no easier way for people to help schools get what they need.”