The University Staff Advisory Council and Work/Life Connections–EAP, on behalf of the Faculty and Staff Hardship Fund, ask for your support in helping us continue to assist our colleagues in need.
August is the annual re-enrollment period for the Kroger Community Rewards program. Under this program, shoppers register their Kroger Plus discount cards online and choose a favorite charity from a list of local nonprofits that Kroger has agreed to help fund. Kroger then tracks all the cardholder’s purchases (excluding alcohol, tobacco and gasoline), with every dollar counting as a vote for the shopper’s preferred organization.
Shoppers do not sacrifice any in-store discounts or gas points they earn with their Kroger Plus cards; the charitable component is a separate, extra feature.
[lquote]Participating in this program is an easy way for Vanderbilt employees to help co-workers in crisis.[/lquote] After registering your Kroger Plus card online and selecting “Vanderbilt” as your designated charity, all you have to do is swipe the card whenever you check out at the store. Last year this program donated more than $10,000 to the Vanderbilt Faculty and Staff Hardship Fund. Going forward this program will benefit both the VU and VUMC hardship funds.
The sign-up process is easy. For step-by-step instructions go to the Kroger Community Rewards page.
The Faculty and Staff Hardship Fund was designed to help Vanderbilt faculty and staff who are experiencing a temporary financial hardship because of a significant life event. Applicants must be full-time employees who have worked at Vanderbilt at least one year and are not under a disciplinary action status.
To apply, the Vanderbilt faculty/staff member must schedule an appointment with a Work/Life Connections–EAP clinical counselor by calling (615) 936-1327 for a confidential appointment.
For more information about eligibility and the process of applying for assistance from the Faculty and Staff Hardship Fund, please visit the Work/Life Connections–EAP website.