Del Monte Teacher Monday $25 GC {Giveaway}

I'm so excited to tell you about a great contest that Del Monte has going on right now. It is called "Teacher Monday: Cash For Classrooms". This contest will help teachers that end up paying out of their own pockets for needed school supplies.

My mom (also known as "Mama" on this blog) is a retired teacher. She taught in the public school system for over 30 years, so I know first hand the struggles that teachers go through. She often used her own money to buy supplies for her classroom, and I even remember her buying food for children in her class that weren't getting healthy, balanced meals at home. It is such a sad situation, but it happens. Teachers have one of the most thankless jobs, and I hold the highest respect for all of them. When I was contacted by Del Monte to promote their contest, I didn't even hesitate to say yes.

Here is part of the press release about the contest:

Del Monte Fresh Produce, North America, Inc. announced today that it is launching a program to help support kindergarten thru 12th grade public school teachers across North and Central America with cash to purchase school supplies and fresh fruit in the “Teacher Monday: Cash for Classrooms” campaign. One hundred prizes totaling $1,000 each will be awarded to teachers who get the most votes in the “Teacher Monday: Cash for Classrooms” online contest at http://www.fruits.com/.

“Monday’s can be difficult for all of us, but public school teachers face even bigger challenges these days with the largest budget cuts in 30 years expected this academic year,” said Dennis Christou, Vice President, Marketing, North America for Del Monte Fresh Produce. “Larger classrooms and far less supplies are putting enormous pressure on our teachers. The “Teacher Monday” program was designed to take some of the burden off teachers, many who pay for school supplies out of their own pockets. It will also provide teachers with tools and incentives to incorporate healthy eating messages into their curriculums, giving us an opportunity to help school children eat and live healthier,” Christou added.

To be eligible to win, teachers must register for the “Teacher Monday: Cash for Classrooms” online contest at http://www.fruits.com/. After teachers register their name and school, they can get all their fans -- from parents to students, to friends and family -- to vote for them. Ten winners will be selected each Monday for five consecutive weeks in October/November, 2010, for a total of 50 winning teachers North American teachers. Winners are based solely on the number of votes they receive. Winning teachers will receive $750 in cash to purchase school supplies and $250 in Del Monte fresh fruit coupons for classroom snacks and to use in fruit educational activities.

In an effort to support schools in less developed countries where many Del Monte products are grown, and where classrooms are also experiencing economic disadvantages, the “Teacher Monday: Cash for Classrooms” program will link winning U.S. classrooms with a school in Guatemala or Costa Rica. The 50 selected Central American schools will also receive $1,000 each for school supplies.

“By linking U.S. and Central American schools, we want to help further the education of students by introducing them to another culture. Our hope is that sister schools will communicate with each other about fun physical activities and their favorite fruit dishes,” said Christou.

What a great contest! Thank you so much Del Monte for helping our teachers out! If you know of a great teacher who deserves this prize, please let them know about and and tell them to register NOW at http://www.fruits.com/. There are only two weeks left so they must act fast. Also, make sure you visit http://www.fruits.com/ so you can vote. Read some of the essays the teachers wrote, and vote for the teacher you think deserves the prize the most. There may be a teacher in your area that could use your vote.

~*~To promote healthy eating, Del Monte is giving TWO of my readers a $25 gift certificate to use towards fresh fruits and vegetables.~*~ (Gift certificates are good through 12/31/10.)

Mandatory entry: (This must be done in order for any optional entries to count) Head over to http://www.fruits.com/ and check out the contest, and the other great features on their site. Leave me a comment letting me know what your favorite fruit or vegetable is.

Optional entries: After you make the mandatory first entry above, you can get one extra entry (unless stated otherwise) for each of the following (please leave a separate comment for each):

* Follow @DelMonteFresh on Twitter
* Like Del Monte Fresh Produce on Facebook
* Follow my blog publicly with Google Friend Connect (left sidebar)
* Like The Life of Rylie...and Bryce too! on Facebook (leave your first name and last initial)
* Follow @thelifeofrylie on Twitter (leave your user name)
* Tweet about this giveaway by copying and pasting this tweet and leaving me the link to your tweet (you can tweet daily for an extra entry each day):

Promote healthy eating! Enter to #win a $25 GC for fresh fruit and veggies from @thelifeofrylie! http://bit.ly/a2VdSP #giveaway

* Post my button on your sidebar or your blog roll for TWO extra entries (leave me two comments with a link to where I can find it)
* Blog about this giveaway with a link to this post for THREE extra entries (leave a link to your post in three separate comments)

Giveaway will end on November 20th at 9:00pm EST. The winner will be chosen by random.org. I will notify the winner by email within 24 hours, and you will have 48 hours to respond. If no response is received within that time frame, I will pick another winner. Please leave your email address or make sure it is in your profile so I will have a way to contact you. I will announce the winner once they have been confirmed. Giveaway is open to US residents only.

Disclaimer: This is my honest opinion. No compensation was received for this post. I am happy to promote something that helps out teachers. A big thank you to Del Monte for providing the giveaway prizes!