People in Hereford can vote for local school and community projects supporting children’s access to healthy food
A trio of Hereford schools and good causes are in the running for much-needed funds to help young people.
Conexus, Hope Support Services, and St Thomas Cantilupe Primary School have been selected in the latest round of voting in Tesco’s Free Fruit & Veg grants programme, with £500, £1,000 and £1,500 available – and customers can now vote for the one they want to support.
The programme is open to support initiatives in Herefordshire that have a clear food focus for young people, including breakfast clubs, holiday food provision, access to healthy snacks for youth groups, community pantries, cookery and nutrition sessions, and food-growing projects that help children learn where food comes from.
The grants form part of Tesco’s wider Fruit & Veg for Schools ambition, giving schools and community groups funding for healthy food projects as the retailer works to help more than one million schoolchildren get fruit and vegetables through its school and community programmes, ran in partnership with community charity Groundwork.
Connexus is keen to receive funding to create a leisure room for vulnerable 18–25-year-olds who have transitioned from social housing to independent living. The facility aims to boost confidence and social skills through activities such as table tennis.
Also, Hope Support Services is in line for funding. They provide support for young people when a loved one has been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness and would like to organise cooking classes for 11-18 year olds. The classes aim to teach them how to create tasty, nutritious recipes and develop new skills to benefit the whole family.
Lastly, St Thomas Cantilupe Primary School would use the donation to create a sensory garden for pupils, where they can grow vegetables, nurture plants, and explore nature, promoting hands-on learning, enhancing wellbeing, and fostering environmental awareness.
Claire de Silva, head of community at Tesco, said:“Every child deserves the chance to enjoy healthy food and build the foundations for a stronger future, so we want to support the brilliant schools and community groups in Hereford helping children and young people access nutritious food.
“Whether that’s a breakfast club, a pantry, cookery sessions or a project that helps children grow and try new foods, we’d encourage local organisations to apply for the grants – and we’d love shoppers to get involved when the customer vote comes to their local store.”
Customers can vote for the good cause they want to support by dropping the Tesco token they receive at the checkout into the relevant voting box as they leave the store. Each funding round features three local projects, with grants awarded based on the number of tokens received.
Schools and community groups in Hereford can apply for funding in future rounds via Tesco, as the retailer looks to support more local projects helping children and young people access healthy, nutritious food. In recent years, thousands of pounds have been donated to good causes across Herefordshire.
For more information about the Tesco Free Fruit & Veg for Schools programme and to find out how to apply for a grant, visit: www.tescoplc.com/fruit-and-veg-grants
