designed to encourage donations to the North Texas Food Bank

Card swiping in Texas is heavily promoted among five school districts. For these schools card swiping leads to cash in the bank, not jail time.

Since launching the Texas Trust Spirit Debit Reward card in the fall of 2011, Texas Trust has donated more than $442,386 to schools in Grand Prairie, Mansfield, Cedar Hill, DeSoto and Athens school districts.

Partnering schools receive 15 cents every time their Spirit Debit Reward cards is used to make a purchase. Schools receive a check each month from the credit union based on the previous months card usage. The schools can spend the money as they deem appropriate.

Each school has a unique custom designed card that is available for members to use as an easy way to financially support the school of their choice. Within the five school districts, 14 high schools, two administration offices and one education foundation participate in the program.

Texas Trust Spirit Debit cardholders surpassed three million purchases with the cards as of the end of January 2014.

\Texas Trust has given us a tool to easily raise money to supplement our budget, which continues to be squeezed,\" said Tammy Mariani