Good causes benefit from latest KCOM community grants

Seven local good causes have benefitted from the latest KCOM Community Grants, including a food bank, a local youth football club and a zero-waste cafe that also runs family cooking activities.

The grants, which donate to a wide range of different local community groups, are designed to provide funds to charities and volunteer organisations offering life changing help and support to people across East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire.

The latest winning organisations are Barton Foodbank, Downright Special, Men In Sheds Hull, Maxlife Youth Project Hull, Barton Juniors FC, The Green Team in Goole and Slow Circular Earth in Barton Upon Humber. The funds they have been awarded will allow them to continue providing support to vulnerable people in the local area, as many groups struggle with the cost-of-living crisis.

Rachel Bowerman, KCOM Community Team Co-ordinator, said: “It’s a privilege to lead the community grants panel and work through these applications each quarter. This time round we had more than 30 submissions so there was a lot to consider!

“We’re pleased to be able to support these crucial groups in the community and look forward to seeing the impact of this quarter’s grants.”

Grants of up to £1,000 each are awarded every two months and are available to any charity or community group with the KCOM area of Hull, East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire. 

The top awards of £1,000 went to Barton Foodbank and Downright Special.

Barton Foodbank is powered by volunteers who collect, sort and distribute food and other household essentials to families who are struggling. The community grant from KCOM will go towards the cost of building a larger, safer storage space for all the donated goods.

A spokesperson for the group said: “Thank you KCOM. The provision of an adequate storage and sorting facility has been a dream for some time now. The amount of food required to feed our clients on a weekly basis has increased and we need to make sure the service is safe and efficient for all.”

Downright Special is a charity supporting children with Down Syndrome in Hull and the East Riding of Yorkshire. It assists and support families and professionals in all aspects of the care and education of children with the condition. The grant from KCOM will allow the charity to purchase two iPads for increased learning and communication opportunities for the children and young people they support.

A spokesperson said: “A big Downright Special thank you for providing us with much needed technology to increase learning and communication opportunities for children and young people with Down Syndrome in the local area.”

For more details about applying for  KCOM Community Grant visit https://www.kcom.com/responsibility/sustainability/community-grants/