Local Couponer Spreads Awareness of FSC

“When you learn, teach. When you get, give.”- Maya Angelou

Sarah Campbell, a coupon enthusiast who has been donating to The Friendship Center to help those in need, makes a difference and spreads awareness to the meaning of giving back. Her father has been her inspiration that started her on her journey in couponing and generosity.

Sarah started her coupon journey 10 years ago when she was a college student that had just moved out of her parents’ house and into an apartment. It was then she realized how expensive it was to live independently and learned to save pennies wherever possible. She is also a person who has always loved numbers, so all the computing of deals is very enjoyable for her. 

CVS became her main source to find deals on items that could be donated. The amount of money that CVS tracked based on Sarah’s yearly savings was a little over $37,000. Although each week varies because of sales and discounts, the time spent couponing ranges for Sarah about 6-10 hours a week. The process involves planning, time in organizing all of the products, bagging, and donating them.

Sarah was introduced to the Friendship Center years ago at a Family and Youth Services Commission meeting. She asked Alderman Francisco Santiago where the best place was locally to donate items to people in need. He introduced her to the Friendship Center and the rest is history!  Choosing the Friendship Center to be the recipient of her donations was influenced by the way Sarah grew up. She always had a roof over her head and didn’t feel the financial struggle that many people do. Her father grew up in poverty with six siblings and a single mother. His stories of what it was like to live like that became her inspiration to help others and give back to the community. By utilizing her math skills, it helped her to get products for free so that she could share them with people who needed help. Sarah is thankful for her father’s assistance in delivering bags full of items to the Friendship Center, and for her mother for always saving her coupons to use.

For anyone who would be interested in making a difference, Sarah says “I would suggest the Friendship Center as a safe space and supportive community for people in New Britain who are homeless or at risk of being homeless. The agency provides a continuum of services for men, women and children who are poor and homeless in Central Connecticut including meals to the community in the Tomasso Community Kitchen. As a resident of New Britain for over ten years, I feel a responsibility to share the means I have with people who need help in my community”.