A social media-based fundraising campaign caused peanut butter to spread across Facebook in February as if the website were a fresh slice of bread. Benefiting Poplar Bluff R-1's Mule Pack program, and sponsored by Bright Futures, local businesses rallied together to supply more than 2,500 jars of peanut butter for families in need.
Carrie Booker, co-coordinator of Bright Futures, said the number of jars collected exceeded the organization's goal of 500 by more than five times the desired amount and is the most successful Bright Futures campaign to date.
"Generally, when good things happen for kids, people want to be a part of it," Booker said. "I knew people loved social media, but I was surprised people participated to this degree."
The idea behind the social media campaign was to expand involvement beyond the effort's usual donors, Booker said. Bright Futures goal is to connect student needs with existing community resources.
"When we were starting, it was, 'How can we get people to attach to this,'" she said.
Chris Smith, of Mozark Media, helped Booker launch the campaign. He said he thought a promising way to encourage participation is to liken it to popular Facebook challenges, like the Ice Bucket Challenge, in which a participant makes a video of themselves pouring ice cold water over his or her head, then challenges a friend to do the same.
In some cases, the social networking challenges allow folks to opt out by donating money to a charity or other good cause. Many times the person will complete the challenge, and still make a donation, all in the name of good fun.
Smith said to launch the campaign, he first asked Steve Halter to make a video featuring unique uses for peanut butter. Halter is the president of the Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce and a Bright Futures board member.
"Luckily, we were blessed to have clients hop on board," Smith said. "We made videos for Seth Gragg at Triple Bs, for Pizza Inn and Mossy Oak (Properties). We set the bar so other people wanted to do it."
With each post, one local company then challenged another to do the same thing and encourage customers and employees to collect jars of peanut butter until the end of the month. The challenge caught on, and businesses ranging from Poplar Bluff Regional Medical Center to Robertson Contractors, Inc., posted a video or photo to the Bright Futures Facebook page.
The Mule Pack Program is spearheaded by Chartwells, the current food service provider for Poplar Bluff R-1 schools. Once a month, 150 backpacks filled with non-perishable food items are sent home with students in need. The program runs 10 months each year and is supplied primarily through donations from community members, faith-based organizations and businesses.
Smith, who spent seven years teaching before opening his marketing agency, said he remembers seeing Mule Packs line the hallways at Lake Road Elementary School.
"Anytime we can help kids and better the community, we want to be involved," he said.
Booker said the next planned event for Bright Futures involves the group's local faith-based partners and will be called "Undie Sunday," which aims to provide underwear for students throughout the school district as needed.
"Every time (the nurses) give out socks or underwear, they don't, or can't really, come back," Booker added.
Booker said churches who are partnered with Bright Futures will have drop-off locations the day of the underwear drive, and for those who want to donate in another location, any school building's front office or the Poplar Bluff R-1 Central Office, located at 1110 N. Westwood Blvd., will accept underwear on behalf of Bright Futures.