As back-to-school season approaches, tech startup SpareFoot is looking out for students in need with a new social charity campaign. Trading Facebook shares and Tweets for donations, Supply Memories benefits a school supply drive for Communities In Schools of Central Texas, a nonprofit focused on dropout-prevention.
“We launched this company while I was still in school myself,” said Chuck Gordon, Founder and CEO of Austin-based self-storage finder SpareFoot. “Our goal with Supply Memories is to give other students a similar opportunity to succeed, no matter their circumstances.”
The interactive pay-it-forward model invites social media users to reveal what memento they’ve “stored” since grade school, cueing SpareFoot to make a donation on their behalf. Sharing a memory through Facebook and Twitter portals – adorably designed in a hand-drawn style reminiscent of Napoleon Dynamite – gives at-risk students the supplies they need to make their own memories.
For every memory shared, SpareFoot will donate $3 worth of basic school supplies for one student. Each kit includes a notebook, pens, pencils, paper, an eraser, and the symbol of SpareFoot’s brand— a ruler.
“We are excited to forge a partnership with innovative startup company, SpareFoot,” said John Duck, Director of Community Partnerships at Communities In Schools of Central Texas. “They understood that students need to arrive to school properly equipped in order to succeed, and developed a unique social media campaign to accomplish that goal.”
A philanthropic-minded business, SpareFoot has previously worked with nonprofit organizations including Kure It Cancer Research, Johnson’s Backyard Garden, NFL’s Fuel Up to Play 60, Shriner’s Hospital For Children, and ColorCancer Texas.
To participate on Facebook, visit facebook.com/sparefoot.