Monday, January 13, 2014

Why I Can't Volunteer to Cut Box Tops for School Anymore...

I love helping to earn money for our school, so when I found out there was a position open with the PTO to be a Box Top Coordinator, I was all for it. I mean I could do most of it at home. I could cut and count Box Tops in my spare time. 

What I didn't think of or even expect is what I would find in my bags of Box Tops that needed to be cut. I found Box Tops that came off of Peanut butter cookies that were dirty - residue of the back. This meant I was bringing Peanut allergens in to my home!! Families from school would turn in full bags of garbage that I would need to cut the Box Top out of, some of these items contained Peanuts!!! EEEEKKK!

We also count and send in Milk caps. This means dirty Milk caps with Dairy protein in my house (Nathan is allergic to dairy). Dried Milk flakes would fall off these caps.

Some of the Box Tops are located on the tops of butter containers, which also contain Dairy. Parents would send in the whole top of a butter container with butter still on the back. They were oily, never even washed. 

Then there is the gross and random things I would find in the baggies of Box Tops that are sent to school that I pick up and bring into my house. I would find beads, crumbs, notes, grocery lists and hair!! GROSS! Not only human hair but animal hair - another allergen for my son.

I wasn't aware of all this or I would not have signed up. I will continue to fulfill my commitment for the rest of the year - I will cut these when Nathan is at school and wash down the table before he gets home. I have to store the Box Tops/Milk caps in the garage so it is not in the house. 

I know I will not be able to volunteer to do this again.

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