Marco’s Pizza® Hosts Cleveland-Area Online School Fundraiser

Marco’s annual School Challenge fundraiser is back and the rules are simple: When a pizza is ordered from participating Marco’s locations, the community’s school earns Pizza Points. The schools with the most points at the end of the year win a slice of the $50,000 prize pool.

Marco’s Pizza is looking for participants in its 7th Annual School Challenge. Once a school is signed up, families and friends can then order pizzas in support of their school. With 90 percent of families already consuming pizza, it’s an easy way to raise money for school projects that beats selling candy bars and discount cards.

“We understand now more than ever, schools need additional funds during this pandemic,” said Marco’s Area Representative and franchisee Matthew Baker. “We believe this is one of the safest and easiest fundraisers for schools and students. Your school can register to participate online and Marco’s has put several safety measures in place at our stores such as contact-free delivery, curbside carryout, extra cleaning/sanitizing measures plus we require all our employees to wear masks and do a daily health check,” added Baker, who oversees 10 of the 50 total Marco’s participating locations across the Cleveland Metro area.

The challenge has expanded in recent years from 120 to 150 schools participating. Last year, St. Brendan School in North Olmstead, Ohio took first place and the associated $5,000 prize. The other schools in the Top 30 receive prizes ranging from $500 to $3,000.

Schools looking to register simply need to visit marcos.com/challenge and add their school to the Northeast Ohio challenge. Once a school registers, a Marco’s representative will follow up to answer any questions. The program runs from Sept. 1, 2020 through April 30, 2021 and is open to all Pre-K- 8th grade schools.

Once a school is registered, its name is listed in the Marco’s online ordering database. When parents, friends, and neighbors order online or through the Marco’s Pizza app, they just need to select their school on the order form. Each school receives a point factor that is based on its enrollment size, so every participant has a fair shot at winning the grand prize.

Schools can also boost their chances by organizing designated Virtual Pizza Night Fundraisers throughout the year. On those dedicated Pizza Nights, schools can earn Pizza Points on phone and in-store orders as well. Online orders can be placed in a school’s name on any day and will earn points as long as the school is added to the order; online orders are worth twice as many Pizza Points as in-store and phone orders.

“We want this year’s School Challenge to be our biggest yet,” said Baker. “We’d love for everything about this contest to grow - the number of schools taking part and, more importantly, the amount of money going to our schools.”

ABOUT MARCO’S PIZZA

Marco’s Pizza is America’s Most Loved and Most Trusted Pizza Brand, according to the 2019 Harris Poll EquiTrend® Study. Headquartered in Toledo, Ohio, Marco’s Pizza is one of the fastest-growing pizza companies in the United States. Marco’s was founded in 1978 by Italian-born Pasquale (“Pat”) Giammarco and thrives by making authentic Italian quality pizza with fresh ingredients. The company has grown from its roots as a beloved Ohio brand to operate 950 plus stores in over 34 states with locations in Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. Most recently, Marco’s Pizza was ranked No. 2 in the Pizza category on Entrepreneur Magazine’s 2020 “Franchise 500” ranking, and No. 6 in the Largest Pizza Chain category on Restaurant Business’ 2020 “Top 500 Chains” ranking. Other recent accolades include ranking No. 4 in Forbes 2019 “Best Franchises to Buy” Small/Medium Investment and ranking five consecutive years on Nation’s Restaurant News’ prestigious “Top 200” ranking.

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