Shopping Sertificates

Our parish purchases gift cards/gift certificates from numerous merchants (national chains and local stores) at a discount cost. Parishioners buy these cards/certificates from the parish at face value, thereby allowing our parish to receive a percentage of the parishioners’ shopping dollars. Volunteers are needed to sell the certificates before and after weekend Masses. This requires approximately 10 minutes before Mass and 20 minutes after Mass of the volunteer’s choice about once every 4 weeks.

SEAS SHOPPING SERTIFICATES (SEAS-SS) IS A PROGRAM THAT HAS PROVEN TO INCREASE PARISH INCOME WITHOUT COSTING YOU ONE PENNY MORE THAN YOU CURRENTLY SPEND. SINCE THE INCEPTION OF THE PROGRAM IN JULY 1995, ABOUT $300,000.00 (PROFIT) HAS BEEN PRESENTED TO THE PASTOR FOR THE NEEDS OF THE PARISH. THIS AMOUNT WAS RECEIVED BY THE PARISH AS A RESULT OF APPROXIMATELY 4 PERCENT (……YES! 4 PERCENT) OF OUR PARISHIONERS PARTICIPATING. CAN YOU IMAGINE THE BENEFIT TO THE PARISH IF EVERY FAMILY USED SEAS SHOPPING SERTIFICATES? EVERY TIME A MEMBER OF OUR PARISH SHOPS WITH SERTIFICATES AT ONE OF THE PARTICIPATING MERCHANTS, OUR PARISH RECEIVES ABOUT 1.5% TO 10% OF WHAT THEY SPEND.

SEAS-SS continually seeks to find “qualified” merchants to add to the list of available sertificates, and drops those who appear to have “lost their appeal” (based on purchases over a length of time) or the profit margin makes it impractical to continue with a particular merchant. Therefore, the list of merchants changes.

This is a Program that doesn’t cost — it pays! Everybody benefits! This is how it works. Our parish buys gift certificates at a discount from various merchants. You purchase the Sertificates from SEAS at face value. You then use these Sertificates at participating businesses for your normal purchases.

Make checks payable to SEAS-SS. Your support is important. This is not a tax-deductible donation.

The Sertificates:

* Are used exactly like cash (Note: amount of change varies depending upon the merchant.)
* Are good for everything the merchant sells
* Are excellent gifts
* Can be used with manufacturers’ and store coupons

It’s a WIN-WIN-WIN program. The merchants benefit from your business and good will! It costs you nothing! The parish receives income!

Please continue to shop using SEAS Shopping Sertificates, or, if you are not using them, give them a try. Sertificates are available after each weekend Mass in the lower level of the church. It takes only a few minutes to obtain them. If anyone is interested in adding or deleting available Sertificates OR you have a special requirement for Sertificates during the week OR you would like additional information, please call:

Hector Dittamo, 703-491-5585, hdittamo@yahoo.com

Marie Lubash, 703-494-9934, marie.lubash@usdoj.gov

SEAS SHOPPING SERTIFICATES PARTICIPATING MERCHANTS (as of:1/21/09)

Merchants offering $25 denomination

Applebee’s
WAWA
Kohl’s Department Store*
Red Robin
Sheetz Gasoline
Gap/Old Navy/Banana Republic
J C Penney (also special orders*)
Chili’s (Macaroni Grill and On The Border)
Red Lobster (Olive Garden)
Outback Steakhouse (Carrabba’s and Cheeseburger in Paradise)
Shoppers (also $100 denomination)
Giant (also $100 denomination)
Safeway (also $100 denomination)
Wal-Mart (Sam’s Club) (also $100 denomination)
Home Depot (also $100 denomination**)
Lowe’s Home Improvement (also $100 denomination**)

Merchants offering $10 denomination

Amici’s Restaurante
Blockbuster
Panera Bread
Fox’s Pizza Den (The Glen Shopping Center)
Bob Evans
Lake Ridge Pizzaria (Tackett’s Mill)
Burger King
Wendy’s
Cracker Barrel
Chipotle
Chuck E. Cheese
Borders
Starbucks
Pizza Hut

Merchants offering OTHER denomination

Exxon/Mobil – $50 denomination
Baskin Robbins – $2 denomination
Kentucky Fried Chicken – $5 denomination

NOTE: *CAN PAY CHARGE ACCOUNT; ** CANNOT PAY CHARGE ACCOUNT