Baked Chicken Tenders, Plus 5 Creative School Fundraising Ideas

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #EarnWithBoxTops #CollectiveBias

There’s no limit to the field trips and creative methods that can be used to teach our children in school, but unfortunately funds do have a limit, especially in public schools. We’ve all heard about how much teachers have to pay out of pocket just for school supplies. The best way we as parents can help is to participate in and encourage fundraising, which believe it or not, can be fun and easy! (Families don’t have to feel obligated to spend a fortune on overpriced junk, for example.)

The easiest way is through the Box Tops for Education program because the school earns money on products your family planned to purchase anyway! My daughters’ school was recently able to get some new musical instruments thanks to the program. Here’s some information on how your school can also benefit from it, plus 4 other easy fundraising ideas:

1. Box Tops for Education

You’ve undoubtedly heard about this popular General Mills program, but now, they’ve got the Box Tops Bonus App on both iTunes and Google Play that lets your school earn even more money from your receipts. All you have to do is buy participating products and scan your receipt. You’ll earn Bonus Box Tops in combination with the on-pack Box Tops clips and any other coupon, discount, store program or promotion, too! Now through January 31, 2018, buy five participating items, scan the coordinating receipts, and earn $5 (50 Bonus Box Tops). In our house, finding eligible items at Walmart (like Annie’s™ Cheddar Bunnies) is no sweat because we buy them anyway. Your kids are guaranteed to love my recipe for Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies Crusted Chicken Tenders with Marinara Dipping Sauce! Check it out below. For a list of General Mills products with Box Tops available on pack, click here.

2. Color Run

Thanks to pictures online, everyone wants to be a part of a color run 5K, so this is your school’s chance to capitalize! Kids of all ages get excited about the prospect of being splattered with colors while racing, but this one’s probably best for middle and high school. It’s a fun way to both raise money and encourage physical fitness.

3. Bake Sale

Everyone loves a bake sale! It’s hard to say no to all of those single-serve, low-priced goodies when they’re staring you in the face! Because volunteers pitch in, there’s very little overhead cost and preparation involved. Create themed bake sales throughout the year (Christmas and Halloween, for example), and consider coffee and donuts in the teacher’s lounge.

4. Book Fair

I don’t know any kid that doesn’t get excited about a book fair, even if he or she isn’t a big reader. A love of reading is subliminally instilled just by providing these fun shops for kids to browse. Often children get a break from class to take a look, and the proceeds go to a worthy cause. Wins all around!

5. 50/50 Drawing

Adults love these low-effort, maximum impact fundraisers! If you’re not familiar with them, 50/50 drawings are simple lottery systems where the prize is 50 percent of the money that’s raised. The more people that participate, the more money that gets raised for charity and the jackpot becomes even higher.

Remember: now through January 31, 2018, buy five participating items, scan the coordinating receipts, and earn $5 (50 Bonus Box Tops)! We decided to take advantage of this offer and buy strawberry Pillsbury™ Toaster Strudels™, a Totino’s™ Combination Party Pizza Pack, Nature Valley™ Crunchy Oats ‘n Honey Granola Bars, Yoplait® Original Fridge Packs and an Old El Paso™ Taco Dinner Kit.

There are tons of fun ways to raise money for your kids’ school, including my favorite, Box Tops for Education. Use a combination of these suggested fundraising efforts to make money and memories this school year!

Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies Crusted Chicken Tenders

Ingredients

3 cups Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies, crushed
2 eggs
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 lb chicken tenders

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

2. Season chicken tenders with salt and pepper.

3. Whisk eggs with mayonnaise and mustard

4. Dip chicken tender into egg batter, then cover in Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies mixture, pressing evenly to make sure it’s evenly coated.

5. Place chicken tenders on baking sheet lined with non-stick silicon mat. (If you use foil instead, be sure to spray with cooking spray first to avoid sticking.)

6. Bake for 20 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.

7. Serve with your favorite homemade or store bought marina sauce. Enjoy!