Coventry Building Society has announced it is donating £1 million to fund cost-of-living support in its home city of Coventry.
The money has been allocated to dozens of organisations in Coventry including schools, foodbanks, social supermarkets, youth groups, help for the elderly, Citizens Advice and support for the city’s homeless.
The £1 million donation includes £250,000 for food and emergency support in every school in Coventry, £200,000 for Coventry’s 15 social supermarkets through the Coventry Food Network, £115,000 for the charity Act on Energy, and £100,000 for the Heart of England Community Foundation’s Cost-of-Living Appeal.
The £100,000 donated to the Foundation is to deliver the Coventry Building Society Cost-of-Living Fund: Community Spaces to support community spaces across the city to stay open and be able to respond to rise in demand. The fund aims to help community centres and spaces to deliver new or extend existing projects and activities that increase access to services and support for people facing financial hardship.
Anna Cuskin, Corporate Responsibility Manager at Coventry Building Society, said:
“This £1m donation will help people in our community keep safe, warm and well during the coming months. It means every school in Coventry gets funding so that fewer children go hungry during the school day, it will help to keep our elderly warm and well, as well as provide essential support to dozens of local organisations that are helping people manage through an incredibly challenging time.
“We’re a UK-wide organisation but our donation will concentrate on charities, schools and other organisations in Coventry because that’s how we can make the biggest difference. We hope this will shine a light on the support that’s available to people when they are in crisis.
“We already support many of these schools and charities with funding, resources and volunteers . But the cost of living crisis is making lives harder and we wanted to do more to help those who need it most. That’s why we’ve given the additional £1 million to the people and organisations who know how to spend it most effectively, including £1,000 to each of our 65 branches which will be donated to local foodbanks from Sheffield to Somerset.”
Tina Costello, Chief Executive at the Foundation, said:
“This crucial donation will support those in need during the current cost of living crisis. At the Foundation we’re incredibly grateful to our partners, Coventry Building Society, for their £100,000 donation to help us support our communities. I’m so proud that one hundred percent of this donation will go directly to communities in need to keep their buildings open and warm this Winter.”
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