Tesco is calling on organisations in Scotland running food projects for children and young people to apply for grants of up to £1,500
Schools and community groups across Scotland are being encouraged to apply for funding through Tesco, as the retailer looks to support more local projects helping children and young people access healthy, nutritious food.
The community grant scheme awards up to £1,500, with shortlisted projects going forward to a customer vote in participating Tesco stores. Shoppers receive a blue token and can vote by placing it in the in-store unit for the cause they want to support. Each funding round features three local projects, with grants awarded based on the number of tokens received.
This year, Tesco is particularly keen to hear from initiatives with a clear food focus, 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 call for applications comes as the latest Government diet survey shows that fewer than 1 in 10 children and young people aged 11–18 meet the recommended 5-a-day, with 11–18-year-olds eating an average of around 2.9 portions of fruit and vegetables per day*.
Tesco believes every child should have the opportunity to enjoy healthy food and is committed to backing practical projects that make a difference locally.
Claire De Silva, Head of Community at Tesco, said: “Every child deserves the chance to enjoy healthy food and build the foundations for a healthier future, we want to support the brilliant schools and community groups in Scotland 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—and we’d love shoppers to get involved when the customer vote comes to their local store.”
Already in Scotland, a number of local causes have benefited from the Stronger Starts blue token initiative, helping to improve children’s access to healthier food and nutrition education,
One example is the Kirkshaws Neighbourhood Centre in Coatbridge who host the KNC Kids Club, an afterschool club and summer holiday playscheme which supports young people aged five to ten and runs a series of cooking classes two days a week.
Through the classes, the young people learn about eating healthier foods and have the opportunity to prepare their own meals, such as soups, pastas and pizzas. The Stronger Start funding helped the group to purchase more kitchen equipment and ingredients, helping the kids continue their keen passion for cooking, learning new foods to try and discover a love for healthy eating.
Nicola Anderson, from KNC Kids Club, said: “The Tesco Stronger Starts grant made a real difference for the KNC Kids Club.
“It’s helped us to buy ingredients and new utensils in our on-site kitchen for local children and young people to use, and the customer vote gave the whole initiative a real lift. We’d strongly encourage other groups to apply—the funding and local support have made a genuinely positive impact.”
Another group who have benefitted from the grant is Mearns Primary School in Newton Mearns, who received a £1,500 Stronger Starts grant to help support their school’s breakfast club, allowing them to provide pupils with a soft-start routine through a nutritious breakfast every school day.
For more information about Tesco Stronger Starts and how to apply, visit:
