Tesco Garforth working hard for the community

Through a series of fundraising activities, the team has provided support to local schools running breakfast clubs and food programmes to ensure families in need don’t go without.

Cathy Furness, community champion at Tesco Garforth, said: “At Tesco Garforth, we all passionately believe no one should have to go hungry. With the school holidays coming up, and cost-of-living pressures at the moment, we knew a lot of local families might be struggling, so as a team we decided to help where we could.

“We donated a £100 gift card to Garforth Academy so that they could provide breakfast booster sessions throughout their GCSE and A Level exam period, as these fall outside the normal school year and don’t receive funding.

“Having discussed how well this was received with the teachers and the positive impact it has had with the students, we are keen to continue to support this initiative future, both at Garforth Academy and beyond.

“Most recently, we have been contacted by Swillington Primary School requesting support with their breakfast club, and once again we have provided them with a gift card. Our store manager Clare and I have also organised a visit to the club to see if there’s anywhere else we can help.”

Tesco Community Champions are store colleagues tasked with providing a link between the store and the community it serves. They are in charge of organising fundraising activities for causes the team and shoppers are passionate about, as well as managing a small community donation budget that can be used for financial support for community groups or events.

As well as providing food for children during the school holidays, Cathy and her team at Tesco Garforth have raised money for other worthy causes, including children’s sports teams, cancer research and providing prize hampers for local fundraising events.

Cathy continued: “Being a Community Champion is so fulfilling because it means I can help charities and causes that mean so much to all our lovely shoppers. We know this is a difficult time for many, so we’re grateful to be in a position to help however we can.”

For more information about the work that Tesco does in local communities, go to https://www.tescoplc.com/sustainability/communities/community-champions/