Groups hit by virus urged to bid for local grants
COMMUNITY groups across Southport affected by and supporting people the coronavirus pandemic are being encouraged to apply for £500 grants from Tesco.
The supermarket giant is offering funds from a £30m package of support dedicated to helping local communities tackling the outbreak. This will include the retailer giving an extra £15m worth of food to FareShare and the Trussell Trust over the next 12 weeks and dontating £1m between the two organisations.
Tesco, which currently donates £3m of food every month through its Community Food Connection scheme and distribution centres, says it will also give £2m to British Red Cross to deal with the extra costs currently being faced.
As part of the support its offering, the firm’s Bags of Help COVID-19 Community Fund aims to support as many groups as possible across the country with grants of £500.
This includes, but is not limited to, women’s refuges, foodbanks, hospices, homeless charities, social isolation groups, schools, charities supporting the elderly and local authorities. The application and payment process is simple to provide support quickly to these important causes.
Groups which fit into this category in Southport are being urged to apply for the grant by visiting tescobagsofhelp.org.uk
Tesco Group CEO Dave Lewis said: “Our stores are at the heart of the communities we serve and as well as supporting our customers and colleagues, we want to help those who need it most, locally.
‘‘We will significantly boost our food donations programme, to ensure food banks and community groups have the supplies they need; whilst giving extra resources to the British Red Cross and focus our Bags of Help scheme to deliver more community support where its most needed at this difficult time.”