Alyson Hannigan Teams Up with Box Tops to Support Schools

For years now, parents have been supporting education simply by clipping Box Tops and sending them to their participating schools. When you go to the grocery store, you’ve probably seen the Box Tops logo on many different products that you purchase, including Cheerios, Nature Valley, Yoplait, and hundreds of other items. Each Box Tops logo collected is worth a 10 cent cash contribution to schools. Approximately 80,000 schools across the nation actively participate in the Box Tops program, which generated $780 million dollars over the past 20 years.

To celebrate the program’s 20th birthday and their commitment to kids, Box Tops has teamed up with actress Alyson Hannigan to kick off the “Don’t Be Absent from School” campaign. The initiative helps convey how much the Box Tops campaign has contributed to schools by imagining a world where schools don’t have needed supplies because people didn’t take the time to clip Box Tops.

The “Don’t Be Absent from School” campaign features video shorts of Hannigan and other celebrities acting as teachers in a world where Box Tops don’t exist. “I’m thrilled to be part of the Box Tops for Education program,” says Hannigan. “I got to do these hidden videos where I was a substitute teacher in a real school. I gave the kids an assignment to paint a rainbow in art class, but all they had was a piece of paper and some water, so you can imagine it was quite frustrating for some children. Obviously, the videos are meant to be humorous, but it brings home the point that we should support the schools. And a program like Box Tops makes it so easy.”

The campaign also launches the new Box Tops app “Clip Board,” which offers schools additional opportunities to earn cash. “With the app, when you go shopping you can push on the items you bought, snap a picture of the receipt, and that will double the money that your school gets through the program,” Hannigan explains.

Hannigan is married to actor Alexis Denisof and they have two daughters. Many moms, like myself, wonder how the actress is able to balance her career and motherhood. “It’s definitely a balancing act and more like a tightrope balancing act,” she says. “You can have it all, but just not at the same time. I think that the best advice is to not be so hard on yourself. Nothing is going to be perfect and that’s what’s so perfect. We’re all doing the best we can. It’s a roller coaster, but it’s the best roller coaster ever.”

Those who know a thing or two about Hannigan also know that she is a craft guru. And she works her craftiness into her kids’ lunches. “When I cut the green part of a strawberry, I do it in a triangle so that it’s a heart. Those little things make a difference,” says Hannigan. “It started before my daughter could read, so her lunches were a love-you note from me. It made the early wake up for the lunch a little more fun. If it brings you joy, it’ll bring them joy.”

For more information on the Box Tops Program, visit the Box Tops 4 Education website. Be sure to check out the video of Hannigan and other celebrities filling in as substitute teachers in a world without Box Tops.

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