Northamptonshire schools and community groups urged to apply for Tesco grants to boost children’s access to healthy food

Schools and community groups across Northamptonshire 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 Northamptonshire, 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 Northamptonshire, a number of local causes have benefited from the Stronger Starts blue token initiative, helping improve children’s access to healthier food and nutrition education, including families at the United African Association’s food bank.

Anne Wankiiri, Charity Director at United African Association, said: “The Tesco Stronger Starts grant made a real difference for the people who access our food bank at Leicester Street Community Room, Northampton. It helped us provide our service users with additional produce in the run-up to Christmas, and provided many families with a variety of fresh fruit and veg that supplemented their food parcels, ensuring they had access to a balanced and healthy meal - customer votes gave our whole initiative a real lift. We’d strongly encourage other groups across Northamptonshire to apply - the funding and local support have made a genuinely positive impact.”

For more information about Tesco Stronger Starts and how to apply, visit: www.tescoplc.com/sustainability/communities/strongerstarts.