Every time you check an item off your holiday shopping list from Amazon or your local grocery store chain, you could be helping local public schools.

Hyde-Addison Elementary school and Hardy Middle School are members of the Amazon Associates program. Every time you access Amazon through a school's link, the school PTA earns up to 6 percent of any purchase you make. There is no extra cost to you as a customer.

According to an email from the Hardy PTA:

"There are two ways you can help Hardy every time you shop at Amazon. First, you can go to the Hardy Middle School web site - www.hardyms.org - and click on the Amazon banner (on the bottom right side) to access Amazon..

Or, to avoid the extra step, use this link - and bookmark it on your browser to use every time you shop at Amazon."

Hyde-Addison's Amazon banner is available here or you can just bookmark this link.

Additionally purchases made at Safeway, Giant and Harris Teeter can all benefit Hyde-Addison. The PTA offers directions here on how to link your card to benefit the school.

Stoddert Elementary in Glover Park participates in Safeway's eScrip school program. Their ID is 149769484. Sign up here.

With a few clicks, you could be supporting your local school at no extra cost.