The Princeton Perks Discount Card is back by popular demand and on sale through April 30.
Since its launch in February, the roster of local businesses that have joined the discount card program has nearly doubled to more than 70 retailers and restaurants, according to information provided by Princeton Perks.
The program, which was started as a fundraiser for Princeton’s public elementary schools, has also expanded to include partners at Princeton Unified Middle School, Princeton High School and Princeton Charter School, who will now sell the cards alongside the original organizers.
The Princeton Perks card costs $25 and gives cardholders special deals from participating retailers and restaurants through Dec. 31. Anyone may purchase a Princeton Perks card by visiting www.princetonperks.com, and then selecting any school’s sales portal.
The website also features the growing list of participating restaurants and retailers, plus details on each business’s specific deal. Most offer cardholders 10% off, though some deals are restricted to certain days of the week or types of merchandise, according to the statement.
Cardholders may also find the Princeton Perks logo displayed in shop windows or near the register of participating businesses.
Any local business is welcome to join. The program is free for businesses; they do not pay to participate nor do they make donations to the schools based on cardholder transactions.
“We’re happy to be participating in the Princeton Perks discount program,” Jon Lambert, owner of Princeton Record Exchange, said in the statement. “Local students, teachers and businesses all benefit, and we think it’s just this kind of collaborative effort that will help us make it through these challenging times.”
Princeton Perks started as a partnership between the town’s four elementary school PTOs – Community Park, Johnson Park, Littlebrook and Riverside – as a means to help the community weather the pandemic. The organizers saw the program as a “win-win-win,” according to the statement: Businesses may see a boost in customers, shoppers get a break when they spend their dollars locally, and the schools fill in fundraising gaps caused by their inability to hold the usual in-person fundraisers this year.
“Uniting the schools on this scale has never been done before,” Sharon Litvinsky, vice president of Friends of Princeton Charter School, said in the statement. “We hope that by bringing all our families together and inviting friends and neighbors to participate, that the united front will have a great impact on our local businesses.”
“The [participating] shops and restaurants are the heartbeat of our neighborhoods and they have always supported our schools,” Princeton Unified Middle School PTO Co-Presidents Veronica Foreman and Kim Marks said in a statement.
Each school’s parent group will determine how best to utilize the funds they raise from card sales. For example, Community Park is donating their proceeds to the Princeton Children’s Fund to subsidize summer camps for low income students; Riverside has earmarked theirs for spring educational programs and graduation celebration activities for fifth graders; Littlebrook is purchasing materials for teachers and supporting arts and cultural enrichment activities; and Princeton Charter is providing summer academic support programs and free attendance at the Hawks Camp for under-resourced students, according to the statement.
Meanwhile, the middle school is donating half of their proceeds to the Princeton Mobile Food Pantry, and Princeton High School will use theirs to help low income students attend the spring prom and participate in special graduation activities, according to the statement.
“The pandemic has highlighted how central our schools are in surrounding students with a community of support,” Shazia Manekia, PTO co-president at the high school, said in the statement. “Beyond just academics, our schools have been providing critical resources for immediate needs from food and clothing, to more complex ones. Our PTOS have continued to work hand-in-hand with school administration and teachers to address the growing needs of our communities, especially during the pandemic, and tackle them head-on.”
For a list of the participating businesses, visit www.princetonperks.com