Bravehearts NI get ‘Bags of Help’ from Tesco
Tesco received more than 3,000 applications for its £2m ‘Bags of Help’ package of support to help community groups across the UK following the COVID-19 outbreak.
Groups and charities in Northern Ireland have already been benefitting from the £500 grants, among them Bravehearts NI, an organisation that supports teenagers and young adults here who are living with Congenital Heart Disease. Those living with the disease lie within the high-risk category of COVID-19, so have been strictly self-isolated with their families throughout the pandemic. In order to support increased health anxiety and financial issues that often come with self-isolation, Bravehearts NI has ramped up its support services.
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Hide AdIn addition to the charity’s usual support services, Bravehearts NI has also sent hobby supplies to families, with items such as puzzles, swingball sets, outdoor toys and games popular amongst service users.
The charity has also delivered fresh fruit and veg parcels to users to aid healthy eating, as well as increased its mental health counselling services which can now be offered over the phone. Its grant from Tesco will help the organisation support families who are isolating specifically in areas of Northern Ireland where council funding has been previously unavailable. The fund will be used to distribute Tesco E-Vouchers to those living with congenital heart disease in order to help ease the burden of grocery costs for those who may have been unable to receive an income due to the pandemic.
Founder and Chair of Bravehearts NI, Clare Caulfield, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be one of the recipients of Tesco’s Bags of Help funding, which will help support our Bravehearts across Northern Ireland in this worrying health crisis, particularly for our service users who are even more vulnerable. The fund acts as a shining example of Tesco backing their messages of support and involvement within the community. As well as essential funding support, Ballymena Tesco Community Champion, Ronny McFall has worked extensively to support our charity with regular fundraisers and acts of kindness. Most recently, Ronny has helped to secure food delivery slots for local Braveheart households who are unable to shop in-store – a seemingly small gesture which makes an enormous difference to these families.”
The Bags of Help COVID-19 Community Fund is part of a £30m package Tesco recently announced that aims to support as many groups as possible across the country with grants of £500. This includes, but is not limited to, women’s refuges, foodbanks, hospices, homeless charities, social isolation groups, schools, charities supporting the elderly and local authorities. The application and payment process is simple to provide support quickly to these important causes.
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Hide AdGroups that would benefit are encouraged to apply. The process is managed through Tesco’s partner charity Groundwork’s website. www.tescobagsofhelp.org.uk
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