Back to school boost
THE Journey Community Church in Antrim has received £5,000 from Tesco’s Golden Grants as part of the Stronger Starts scheme to provide school supplies for pupils at local primary schools.
The “We Serve Back to School” programme offers school supplies and equipment to families struggling with their bills, helping alleviate pressure and having a positive impact on a huge part of the kids’ everyday lives.
This year, the church donated 120 kits in time for the school term, including essential stationery such as pencils, pens, rulers, sharpeners, colouring supplies, erasers, folders, tissue, and notebooks. The items are a mix of direct donations from local partners, including Tesco, the church and the community. They have also partnered with Madlug to provide school bags. Since the programme started in 2024, the church has provided 250 kits for primary school kids.
“According to data from charity The Children's Society, in the last two years uniform costs have been around £287 for a child in primary school, not including the additional costs of supplies families need to provide,” explained Zara Monteith, Executive Pastor at the Journey Community Church.
“These costs put huge pressure on families who are already struggling to manage financial pressure, including high utility bills and inflation. As a result, some are having to cut back on other essentials such as food or electricity.”
Zara also said the cost of going back to school does not only impact a family’s finances, but can also contribute to feelings of social exclusion, social anxiety, or shame if the child shows up to class without these basic items. “It also affects a child’s self-esteem and learning ability if they are at a disadvantage to their peers,” she commented.
The feedback from families in the programme has been incredibly encouraging. Parents have said the kits ease financial pressure during this stressful time of year, while teachers have commented that children arrive better prepared and show more confidence in class.
“One parent recently mentioned that her child was ‘so proud to open his new pencil case on the first day of school,” which might seem small, but for that pupil it made a huge difference in feeling included and ready to learn,” Zara said.
“Tesco’s generosity has allowed us to expand the number of kits we provide and improve the quality of items included, such as the school bags provided. Their support means we don’t have to turn families away, and it also helps us to reach new, much-needed areas,” she added.
Claire De Silva, Head of Communities at Tesco, said: “We are incredibly proud to award Golden Grants to over one hundred schools and groups, like the Journey Community Church, supporting the vital work they do for our children and communities. Since we launched our grants programme in 2016, more than £120 million has been given to more than 67,000 local schools and community groups.”
NI shoppers can support their local schools and charities by dropping the Tesco blue token they receive at checkout into the relevant voting box as they leave the store.
For further information on how to make a difference at Tesco stores across NI please go to https://tescostrongerstarts.org.uk