Charter school, all Princeton Public Schools now participating in discount card program that features more than 70 local businesses

You can support local schools, student programs, restaurants, area businesses, and other good causes all at the same time by purchasing a Princeton Perks Card now through the end of April.
“The shops and restaurants are the heartbeat of our neighborhoods and they have always supported our schools,” said Princeton Unified Middle School PTO Co-Presidents Veronica Foreman and Kim Marks of the participating businesses.
The $25 card gives you discounts at more than 70 local businesses through the end of the year. The program, which was started as a fundraiser for Princeton’s public elementary schools, has also expanded to include the Princeton Unified Middle School, Princeton High School, and the Princeton Charter School. All of the schools will now sell the discount cards alongside the original organizers.
“We hope that by bringing all our families together and inviting friends and neighbors to participate, that the united front will have a great impact on our local businesses,” said Sharon Litvinsky, vice president of the Friends of Princeton Charter School.
You can buy a card by visiting princetonperks.com and then selecting any school’s sales portal. Most businesses offer cardholders 10 percent off, though some deals are restricted to certain days of the week or types of merchandise. Cardholders can find the Princeton Perks logo displayed in shop windows or near the register of participating businesses. Any local business is welcome to join. The program is free for businesses; they do not pay to participate and don’t make donations to the schools based on cardholder transactions.
“We’re happy to be participating in the Princeton Perks discount program,” says Jon Lambert, owner of Princeton Record Exchange, which is located on South Tulane Street. “Local students, teachers, and businesses all benefit, and we think it’s just this kind of collaborative effort that will help us make it through these challenging times.”
Each school’s parent group will determine how best to use the funds they raise from card sales. Community Park is donating their proceeds to the Princeton Children’s Fund to subsidize summer camps for low-income students. Riverside Elementary School has earmarked its funds for spring educational programs and graduation celebration activities for 5th graders. Littlebrook Elementary School is purchasing materials for teachers and supporting arts and cultural enrichment activities, and the Princeton Charter School is providing summer academic support programs and free attendance at summer camp for under-resourced students. Princeton Unified Middle School is donating half of its proceeds to the Princeton Mobile Food Pantry, and Princeton High School will use proceeds to help low-income students attend the spring prom and participate in special graduation activities.
“The pandemic has highlighted how central our schools are in surrounding students with a community of support,” said Shazia Manekia, PTO co-president at the high school. “Beyond just academics, our schools have been providing critical resources for immediate needs from food and clothing, to more complex ones. Our PTOs have continued to work hand-in-hand with school administration and teachers to address the growing needs of our communities, especially during the pandemic, and tackle them head-on.”
Participating businesses as of March 24 include:
The Bagel Nook
Bella Boutique
The Bent Spoon
The Blue Bears
Card My Yard
Chopt
Color Me Mine
Chennai Chimney
Cranbury Station Gallery
Creative Cakes By Sweta
Custom Ink
Cyndi Shattuck Archiving & Photography
Elite Five Sushi + Grill
FICUS
French Flair Ferme
Homestead Princeton
Highbar Boutique
Jammin’ Crepes
jaZams
J. McLaughlin
Jules Thin Crust Pizza
Kopp’s Cycle
La Jolie Salon & Spa
Local Greek
Local Q
The Mint
Mandalay Trading Co.
Mediterra
Milk & Cookies
Miya Table & Home
More than Q
Nomad Pizza
Oink and Moo BBQ
Olsson’s Fine Foods
Orvana
Osteria Proccaccini
Pizza Den
PJs Pancake House
Planted Plate
Playa Bowls
Princeton Canoe & Kayak Rental
Princeton Events Co.
Princeton Floral Design
Princeton Playspace
Princeton Mattress
Princeton Record Exchange
Princeton Soup & Sandwich
Pure Barre
Reporte Hispano
Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard
Room 16 Theatre Arts
Schouse Szechuan Cuisine
scienceSeeds
Sherwin-Williams Paint
Small Bites by Local Greek
The Studio Salon
Tacoria
Teresa Caffe
Teriyaki Boy
Terra Momo Bread Co
Thomas Sweet Chocolates & Ice Cream
Tico’s Eatery & Juice Bar
Tidy Nerd
Toobydoo
Tortuga’s Mexican Village
Tranquility Den Massage
Tratoria Proccaccini
Vaseful Flowers & Gifts
ZOË
Krystal Knapp is the founding editor of Planet Princeton. Follow her on Twitter @krystalknapp. She can be reached via email at editor AT planetprinceton.com. Send all letters to the editor and press releases to that email address.
Glad to see the community can come together to support our local businesses!