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Charity Card Mall LLC, a gift card program manager based in East Freetown, Mass., has created gift cards that consumers can buy as a way to donate to charities in their own or someone else's name. The company's first card is for donations to Easter Seals, a charity that focuses on helping children with physical disabilities, Don Poitras, Charity Card Mall president, tells Prepaid Trends, a CardLine sister publication. The $5 and $25 cards can be purchased at 6,300 CVS Caremark Corp. stores in 44 states, Poitras says. A consumer buys the card at the register and the money is sent directly to the charity, Poitras says. Then the consumer can give the card to a gift recipient and register it online so that the recipient receives an e-mail acknowledging the donation made in his or her name, Poitras says. Atlanta-based InComm, a third-party gift card distribution and processing company, provides the processing for the cards and is paid a fee by the charity for processing the cards. Charity Card Mall receives a management fee as well, Poitras says. CVS donates the rack space and does not receive a fee, he adds. Charity Card Mall has signed agreements with The Children's Health Fund and Charity Choice and is looking for retailers to offer those cards as well, Poitras says.
