$5 for Fight funds running desperately low. Can you offer a helping hand today?

100 families helped this year; more waiting. Every donation counts.

By ED FINKELSTEIN

Publisher

With summer coming on, the warm weather doesn’t alleviate the needs of union families still out of work, but the $5 for the Fight Fund is seriously low on funds. Only $13,384.53 remains with some 18 requests for help in the hopper.

And the Fight Fund help makes a difference.

This year alone, as an indicator of how serious things continue to be, 100 requests for help have been answered with $23,285.50 paid out for such items as medical help, housing and food.

The $5 for the Fight Fund needs your help NOW. Please consider a donation, no matter the size because every dollar counts and you’ll know that your contribution is helping someone in desperate need of help. There are three ways to give:

WAYS TO GIVE

• Mail: Send a check/money order to “$5 for the Fight” to: $5 for the Fight, c/o St. Louis Labor Council, 3301 Hollenberg Drive, Bridgeton, MO 63044. Please include your union affiliation.

• Online: Go to labortribune.com and click “$5 for the Fight Donations” to be taken to a secure payment site.

• Recurring credit card donation: Go to labortribune.com and click “$5 for the Fight Donations” to go to the secure donations page, check “Automatic monthly deduction” and the amount you want to give. Each month your designated donation will be automatically deducted from your credit card.

Your donation will help union brothers and sisters in need and ensure the fund is there should you ever need assistance.

LEVELS OF GIVING

There are nine categories of giving:

• Apprentice – $1 to $12/ George Washington Honor Roll

• Journeyman – $13-50/ Andrew Jackson Honor Roll

• Steward – $51-$99/ Ulysses S. Grant Honor Roll

• Chief Steward – $100 +/ Ben Franklin Honor Roll

• Job Foreman – $500+/ William McKinley Honor Roll

• General Foreman – $1,000 +/ Grover Cleveland Honor Roll

• Major Donors – $2,500 +

• In Memoriam – to honor a loved one or friend or fellow union member.

• Organizations/Companies

If your gift moves you from one category to another, you will automatically move into the appropriate Honor Roll.

Remember, 100 percent of your donation goes into the “Fight Fund.” All efforts to promote and service the Fund are donated by the Labor Council, the United Way and the Labor Tribune. From a lot of grateful people, “thank you” for agreeing that “we share because we care for one another.”

‘FREE MONEY’ TO HELP

The Schnucks eScrip program provides “free money” to help out-of-work families.

When you show the cashier your free eScrip card at checkout, Schnucks, as part of its community outreach, donates a percentage of your purchase to the Fight Fund. It’s that easy, and it doesn’t cost you a penny. The amount of money donated by Schnucks goes up as your total purchases for the month climb: 1 percent for the first $300, two percent from $301 to $600 and three percent from $601 to $999.

“We encourage everyone to consider picking up a free eScrip card at their local Schnucks,” said Pat White, president of the Greater St. Louis Labor Council.

HOW TO START?

• If you already have a Schnucks eScrip Card, you can add the $5 for the Fight Fund to your existing card by simply calling 1-800-931-6258 and adding “St. Louis Labor Council-5 for the Fight (Group No. 500030665)” to it. Schnucks allows you to designate up to three organizations to get funding as long as the group is registered with Schnucks to participate.

• By phone: Call 1-800-931-6258. Say that you want your purchases credited toward “St. Louis Labor Council-5 for the Fight.” You need to specify “St. Louis Labor Council-5 for the Fight (Group No. 500030665)” as that is how the fund is listed with the eScrip program.

• Online: Go to escrip.com/schnucks.jsp. Click “Register Your Card” and follow the prompts to fill in the required information. Make sure you indicate “St. Louis Labor Council-5 for the Fight” when it asks you to “Enter a Group Name.” You’ll also need to check the box when the Council’s name comes up.

If you register within seven days of any purchase, that amount is retroactively credited to the $5 for the Fight Fund. Each card also comes with a handy smaller card that you can attach to your car key chain so you’ll have it with you each time you buy groceries.