General Mills Celebrates 30 Years of Giving Back
General Mills is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its Box Tops for Education partnership with a back-to-school (BTS) campaign featuring retro packaging, nostalgic creative and a charitable giveaway.
The “Saved by the Box Tops” promotion that kicked off in mid-July celebrates one of the company's longest-running consumer-facing initiatives, and the impact its partnership with Box Tops for Education has made on communities since 1996.
The campaign features nostalgic TV spots and retro packaging on select General Mills products including Cheerios, Annie’s and Lucky Charms, to mark the milestone and encourage participation.
The spots highlight how families can earn cash for their schools and free snacks by scanning receipts from participating products through the Box Tops mobile app.
Consumers can explore participating products and download the app at the program’s dedicated site, BoxTops4Education.com. Social efforts on the brand’s Instagram page during the back-to-school season will feature campaign updates and interactive content.
“For 30 years, Box Tops for Education has helped schools access critical resources and opportunities to ensure students everywhere are set up for success,” Blake Holman, senior director of brand building at General Mills, said in a company release. “Reaching this milestone is a chance to celebrate everything Box Tops has helped make possible for schools over the years while reminding families how easy it is to give back with the products already in their carts.”
Working with Universal Products & Experiences, General Mills reunited the cast of the 1990s sitcom "Saved by the Bell" for the feel-good campaign. Inspired by the television series, the effort celebrates the impact Box Tops for Education has had on schools since the program launched, the company said.
Cast members Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Tiffani Thiessen, Mario Lopez and Elizabeth Berkley Lauren returned to the set of Bayside High to communicate how the program has helped support classrooms over the years and encourage families and community members to get involved.
For its part, General Mills will also award $10,000 each to 30 schools in need to help fund programs and resources for the upcoming 2026–2027 school year, which is being highlighted in stores and through campaign messaging.
Box Tops for Education was founded by General Mills in California in 1996 as a clip-and-send initiative where families collected 10‑cent coupons (box tops) from participating General Mills products and mailed them to their schools for cash. The program expanded nationally and evolved into a digital platform in 2019.
Today, consumers can participate by scanning store receipts or linking eligible store accounts through the Box Tops app. To date, schools have earned nearly $1 billion through the program that supports Pre‑K through 8th grade schools with resources ranging from library books and gym equipment to school gardens and technology.
