Write a commentMandy Frantz, a trainer and skater with Oz Roller Derby, is using her coupon prowess to benefit one of the local animal adoption agencies in Oswego County.
Frantz is also the office manager at I Heart Corp and, as an avid coupon cutter, she is making a name for herself around Oswego as the local coupon guru, sharing her deftness and ingenuity with "couponing" through her weekly OzDeals column on iHeartOswego.com.
This past week, she purchased more than $100 worth of cat food for the Oswego County Humane Society (OCHS) with just coupons. And she is not done yet.
"I plan to do some more shopping before I hand it all over to them," she said. "The last trip to the store, I bought out all they had, so I need to wait until they restock before I go back again."
Frantz said she got the idea to help the humane society when she realized she could make a difference for local organizations who depend upon donations in order to sustain.
"I thought it would be a great idea for Oz Roller Derby to support our local humane society," she said. "I recently had my cat spayed by them and they were great to work with."
Frantz said this type of community support is all in keeping with the traditions and spirit of roller derby. Oz Roller Derby was founded by Mandy Frantz, Phil Gailinas and Victoria Gailinas (The Gailinas' also founded the Oz Roller Girls in March of 2010).
"It is really what roller derby is about," she explained. "We strive to make roller derby family friendly and community oriented."
Recently, the Oz Roller Derby team volunteered at the Move Along Shoot for the Stars event as well an auction fundraiser through McEwen Auction Company.
For Frantz herself, she said this is just the beginning of using her couponing to help others.
Because her "couponing" has become more of an addiction than a hobby, she and her boyfriend, Jason, are well known around the stores in Oswego. Her shopping excursions almost always end with the store paying her for her "purchases" and a round of applause from those in the store.
"I always find myself looking for that next 'fix,' but at some point you have to say, I have enough!" she said with a laugh.
With more than 300 tubes of toothpaste, 150 plus air fresheners, 300 razors, 250 packs of panty liners, 60 boxes of cereal, 50 boxes of pasta, 100 toothbrushes, 300 plus candy bars, and more than 2,000 bottles of shampoo, Frantz said she has hit that point.
"I needed to find a place to donate the products that I have an absurd amount of and after talking with people we know, decided the best place to donate would be the Ronald McDonald House," she said. "We contacted someone there and asked what they are in dire need of and, as it turns out, it is personal products – just what I have too much of."
For tips on couponing and where to find the best deals in Oswego each week, visit OzDeals at iHeartOswego.com. For more information about the Oswego County Humane Society, visit their website at http://oswegohumane.org.
About the Oswego County Humane Society
The Oswego County Humane Society was organized in the year 2000 by a group of Oswego County residents who were concerned about the inadequacy of county wide animal welfare services. OCHS provides comprehensive county-wide animal welfare services such as spay / neuter programs
and assistance; rescue and fostering of animals in urgent need; adoption of rescued animals; assistance for private adoptions; humane education programs; information and referral; assistance with lost and found pets.
