By John Kelly
Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Every school needs a Carol Smalls . She's the person who has volunteered to master the intricacies of those grocery store rebate programs in the hopes that a few more donated dollars can flow to her son's high school.

She calls herself Montgomery Blair PTSA's "painless fundraising coordinator."

"The grocery things cost you nothing to do," said Carol, of Silver Spring. "It's not like it makes any dent in what you pay. It's just a way of putting some of the money into the school rather than into the coffers of the grocery store."

The concept is simple: Every time you flash your Giant or Safeway loyalty card at the cash register, the school gets a donation -- a small one, perhaps, but it grows when combined with those of other parents. A penny here, a penny there and pretty soon you're talking real money.

But it's not always easy to sign up for these programs or to designate a school. "It takes a lot of juggling," said Carol. "Each program is different, with different deadlines and requirements."

Which brings us to John Tyler Elementary School in the District. Last week, I announced that because Tyler had posted the best improvement in attendance among D.C. schools, I hoped readers would designate it for their grocery store largesse -- if they hadn't already done so for their own kids' schools. I heard from several readers who wondered what to do next. Carol walked me through the process.

If you shop at Giant or Safeway, you probably have a Giant Bonus or Safeway Club card. If you don't, you can sign up for one at the store.

Giant's program, A+ BonusBucks, runs from Oct. 6 to April 5. People must sign up every year. You can do that by going to http://www.giantfood.com/aplus . Put in your 12-digit Giant card number and search for Tyler in the list of schools after selecting the District in the drop-down menu. Or you can do it in person at the customer service office in the store. Tyler's number is 00067.

If you have any questions about the program, call 877-ASK-APLUS.

Safeway's rebate program starts Sunday and runs through May 31. Participants must renew every year. The Safeway program is handled by a California company called eScrip. To enroll, go to http://www.escrip.com and click where it says "Renew your commitment to Safeway Stores." (Some Safeway stores have info about how to enroll, but many don't.)

You'll need the 11-digit number from your Safeway card. If you punch in your phone number at checkout rather than using your card, you can get your card number by calling 877-SAFEWAY. Tyler's Safeway number is 2479584.

Tyler is also signed up with Target, whose Take Charge of Education program brings schools money from using a Target card at the store or from using a registered Target Visa card elsewhere. Sign up at the store or at http://www.target.com (click on "redcards" near the top of the page, then "Take Charge of Education"). Tyler's Target number is 39660.

When I met Carol recently, she had a fistful of Safeway receipts from a promotion the supermarket did over the summer called 10% Back to Schools. She was planning to spend hours in front of her computer, entering the numbers to make sure her son's school got all it was due. She saves cash register receipts from Snider's, a neighborhood grocery in Silver Spring, and she used to collect cereal box tops for General Mills's Box Tops for Education program -- netting 10 cents a box top -- before her son, Bryan , went to high school. (That program is open only to schools up to eighth grade.)

"It really takes somebody who understands how it works," she said of the various promotions. "I sort of have it down to a science."

My column last week about a few run-ins I've had with guns brought several e-mails. My favorite was from "Joe D." of Washington:

"You are the biggest Nellie-bottom I've ever encountered in the pages of The Post. You did yourself a big disfavor by running that pathetic story of how you 'trembled' when you picked up your [father-in-law's] revolver. If I were your old man, I'd be disappointed in a son who gets the shakes over something so innocuous.

"Good day, wuss."

And good day to you, sir. My e-mail:kellyj@washpost.com.