Much-needed meals and warm spaces will be provided to people in Stroud thanks to a £10,000 grant selected by Tesco shoppers.
The Paganhill Community Group was chosen to receive the funds as part of a celebratory Community Grant one-off funding campaign.
Shoppers at selected Tesco stores took part in a lucky dip to find specially created gold versions of its iconic blue voting token. The total amount being given away in gold tokens was worth £1million in grants to local good causes.
The Paganhill Community Group works with local people to put on a wide range of activities for all ages in the Octagon Community Hub off Farmhill Lane.
Among the services offered by the charity’s 40 or more volunteer members is a community cafe on Wednesday afternoons. The healthy meals are made partly from surplus from supermarkets such as Tesco, and partly from food donations by farmers and local growers who give to the Network of Stroud Hubs.
Jaqui Smith, director at Paganhill Community Group, said: “The Paganhill team are overjoyed that we were chosen to receive the £10,000 Gold grant. Many thanks to our amazing voters, supporters and to Tesco.
“This funding will enable us to provide meals and warm spaces for our community through the coming winter, as well as a great Christmas party.
“We know it can sometimes be tough to buy and cook good, healthy food. That’s why we’re glad to be sharing great food with our neighbours.”
The donation marks £1million in Tesco Community Grants being given to more than 50,000 good causes since they were launched in 2016. Good causes that have benefited include breakfast clubs, food banks, Meals on Wheels, playgrounds and green spaces, parks and green spaces, counselling and support services for young people and children’s sports teams.
Julie Sarahs, Community Champion at the Tesco Superstore in Stroud, said: “We are very proud to be part of a national celebration of Tesco nationwide.
“Ed Tierney found the token and chose Paganhill Community Group out of our three nominees. The work that Paganhill Community Group does is amazing and we’re glad to be able to help them continue providing such an essential service for the people of Stroud.”
With many small, often volunteer-run groups facing rising costs, Tesco Community Grants are vital at the moment to help them keep going. The current cost-of-living crisis is also seeing many groups starting to offer hot meals or warm spaces in addition to their usual services.
Claire De Silva, head of communities and local media at Tesco, said: “These events were not only a really fun occasion in store, with our colleagues and customers really keen to get involved, but also an important opportunity for people to choose a local good cause to receive the £10,000 grant. Hopefully, this will help to make a difference to everyone they continue to support within our communities.”
