COMPUTERS
Chéri Pierre, CEO of Computers 2 Kids. “I mean, literally, when the schools shut down, we went from getting maybe a couple hundred requests in a week to five, six, 700 in a day.”
“This issue of the digital divide has been around for a very long time. COVID-19 has just obviously heightened the awareness of it.”
While most school districts in San Diego County have reopened for in-person learning to some degree by this month, distance learning may still be the norm for many students for the rest of this school year.
Many districts reopened in hybrid mode, meaning students are distance learning for part of the week. And some districts, including San
Diego Unified and several South County districts, have not yet set reopening dates.
Even though school districts have been distributing devices to students, orders for computers have taken months and it has been an added cost for schools, Pierre said.
People can drop off any electronic device — working or non-working — drive-thru style at Computers 2 Kids’ warehouse at 8324 Miramar Mall. The warehouse is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and on Saturday from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Besides refurbishing computers for use, the nonprofit also sells donated electronics and uses them for parts. The nonprofit doesn’t accept major appliances like washing machines or refrigerators.
Businesses that want to
donate devices in bulk can call 858-200-9791 to arrange a free pickup.
Families who need a device can fill out the nonprofit’s online request form on its website at www.c2sdk.org under the tab “Apply.”
Each computer costs $100, to pay for refurbishment and other costs, but the nonprofit provides computers for free to families who can’t afford them.
Computers 2 Kids also has been working with Cox Communications to get families internet access. Cox said more than 4,000 California families have connected through its Connect2Compete program since the pandemic began. The program offers two months of free internet, then it costs $9.95 a month for low-income families.