Every Child Online are bidding for a cash boost from the Tesco Community Grants initiative. Tesco works with community charity Groundwork to run its community funding scheme, which sees grants of up to £1,500, £1,000 and £500 awarded to local community projects.
Three groups in every community have been shortlisted to receive the cash award, and shoppers are being invited to head along to Tesco stores to vote for who they think should take away the top grant.
We are please to announce that Every Child Online is one of the groups on the shortlist.
The Charities project title is – Closing The Digital Divide
Its short project description is – A project that provides underprivileged children and young adults with IT equipment to access support and online learning tools, significantly expanding their opportunities in life.
Voting is open in all Tesco stores from early April, and customers will cast their vote using a blue Tesco token given to them at the check-out each time they shop.
Tesco Stores where you can place your tokens are: 1. Pitsea Tesco Extra 2. Tesco Rayleigh Express 3. Tesco Wickford Express, Silva Island Way 4. Tesco Wickford, Southend Rd 5. Tesco Benfleet, London Rd (Tarpots). 6. Tesco Rayleigh, London Rd. Please collect your tokens and vote for Every Child Online
Every Child Online professionally refurbishes old or defunct PCs and laptops donated by businesses and the public and supply them free of charge to schools in deprived areas and charitable organisations. This enables schoolchildren to learn and thrive without restrictions, with up-to-date equipment and industry-recognised software, improving their educational attainment and significantly expanding their employment opportunities.
For charities and their beneficiaries – for example, homeless young people, refugees or children affected by the care system – our work provides them with the information technology capacity needed to better access support and opportunities and fully participate in society.
Every Child Online’s CEO and Co-Founder said: “This is an excellent opportunity to promote our charity project to the thousands of Tesco customers passing by the voting booth. Posting your token in our slot and helping us to win means hundreds more children will be provided with access to our refurbished computers. We can’t thank Tesco and Groundwork enough for their support”.
Tesco’s Community Grants scheme has already awarded over £100 million to more than 50,000 projects across Britain. Tesco customers get the chance to vote for three different groups every time they shop. Every three months, when votes are collected, three groups in each of Tesco’s regions will be awarded funding.
Claire De Silva, Head of Community at Tesco, said: “Tesco Community Grants help support good local causes but especially those projects supporting young people, those providing food, and local causes close to our colleagues’ hearts.”
Groundwork’s National Chief Executive, Graham Duxbury, said: “Tesco Community Grants continues to give local projects the boost they need to help their communities thrive. By funding services which support young people and reduce food poverty, we hope to facilitate positive change from the ground up across the UK. We are pleased to have been able to help so many local good causes over the years and look forward to seeing what community organisations can achieve in the future with the right resources.”
Funding is available to community groups and charities looking to fund local projects that bring benefits to communities, particularly those helping to provide food and giving children the support they need for a good start in life. Anyone can nominate a project and organisations can apply online. To find out more visit www.tesco.com/communitygrants.