Stop & Shop's school rewards program returns

QUINCY, Mass., and PURCHASE, N.Y. — School is back in session, and so is Stop & Shop's rewards program.

Customers once again are encouraged to sign up for the A+ School Rewards school fundraiser, a program launched in 2009 to support local schools throughout participating markets. During the 2012-2013 school year, Stop & Shop said it will donate $2.5 million through the program. More than $4 million has been donated to local schools since the program's inception.

How it works: A+ School Rewards are accrued with each purchase a customer makes using his or her Stop & Shop card. Points also can accrue when shopping with a Stop & Shop card on Peapod.com. To participate in the program, customers must sign up and designate their chosen school(s) at Stopandshop.com. Shoppers can designate up to two schools to benefit from the program and are required to re-designate each year. Participants are encouraged to sign up or re-designate as soon as possible so their chosen schools can begin earning points when the program begins. Beginning in November, current school totals can be found on the A+ website at Stopandshop.com/aplus.

The program, which runs from Oct. 5 through March 28, allows Stop & Shop customers to help local schools earn cash for technology, scholarship programs, summer programs, field trips, playgrounds and other educational needs.