Lost and Found Can Help Raise Money for Floral Street School

In an attempt to reduce the amount of lost and found and raise money for the school, Natasha Colonero, a parent has teamed up with Mabel's Labels.

The company sells labels such as iron-ons, bag tags and more for clothing items, which will help raise money for the school.

“Floral has a big huge lost and found,” said Colonero, who brought forth the idea for the fundraiser after having success with it to raise funds for an area dance group’s booster club. “It seemed like something that could be really useful.”

The lost and found items at the school cover a large table and fill several bins. Additionally, items are hung on a clothing line along the windows in the cafeteria. Items range from gloves, hats and water bottles to coats, sweatshirts and sweaters.

“My kids are losing stuff all the time,” said Colonero, adding that the school has "a huge table and buckets full of lunch bags to coats … They just get rid of it every month or so because it just accumulates."

If there were tags on the clothing it would be easier to identify to whom the items belong, said Hannah Kane, president of the school’s PTO. With roughly 800 students at the school, the lost and found can get pretty large, she said, adding that many of the unclaimed items end up being donated.

Floral Street School will receive 20 percent of the proceeds from orders placed at Mabels Labels, which is an ongoing fundraiser for the school. Labels can be personalized and there are lots of different designs. The labels are useful when children lose items at school, but can also be helpful during other activities, Kane said.

“There are a lot of different uses for it,” Kane said. “Many practical home uses and school uses.”

Mabel’s Labels also has allergy alert labels and wristbands, according to Colonero, adding that the fundraiser is open to everyone and not just Floral Street School parents.

The money raised through the fundraiser will help the school in several ways, including helping to pay for field trip buses, items to support the curriculum which are not funded through the regular budget, and special programs at the school, according to Kane.

The PTO holds roughly a dozen fundraisers per year, at least one a month, she said, and tries to vary them with the understanding that not everyone can participate in every fundraiser and that the school has a diverse population.

To place an order, visit the school's website.