Tesco Mobile, like us, believes that everyone has the right to be connected and should be able to afford life’s essentials. That’s why we’re partnering with Tesco Mobile to keep people facing hardship connected, one little help at a time.
Connection is one of life’s essentials, like a loaf of bread or a tube of toothpaste. Without it, people are locked out of life-changing services, held back from opportunities, and cut off from loved ones.
Take Sabrina for example, who was referred to a food bank and receives social security payments as she is unable to work due to her disability. She explained that her phone and internet are her lifeline to the outside world:
“Without it I would not be able to message family and friends, to pay bills, or do online banking. I would be terribly lonely; it’s a definite must for me to have these services. When I don’t have them, I’m cut off from the world, feeling sad, lonely and desperate for communication.”
Tesco Mobile has committed to connecting 50,000 people who are facing hardship by 2025. It will distribute SIMs and data via our network of food banks through the Little Helps Databank scheme, as well as offer devices and connectivity to help the food banks themselves run as effectively as possible through the Connected Food Banks scheme.
As part of its activity, Tesco Mobile is pledging to donate an initial 2 million GB of data to the Little Helps Databank through the Tesco Food Collection (which takes place between 1 and 3 December 2022). Keeping people facing hardship connected, one little help at a time.
What is the Little Helps Databank?
The Little Helps Databank is the name of Tesco Mobile’s scheme to distribute SIM cards to food banks, which will then be donated to people facing hardship to help them stay connected to loved ones and access vital support services. Each SIM card will be loaded with 25GB of data each month for 6 months and will be distributed from January 2023.
What is the Connected Food Banks scheme?
Connected Food Banks is the name of Tesco Mobile’s scheme to offer devices and connectivity to food banks in the Trussell Trust network. It will be offering a tablet, mobile Wi-Fi device and SIM card to each food bank in our network, providing them with the best practical tools to support their communities.
Tesco Mobile is a joint venture between Tesco and Virgin Media O2. It provides award-winning service to 5.4m customers in the UK, all powered by O2’s network, offering great-value mobile devices and connectivity. Tesco Mobile has over 500 Mobile stores, housed in large Tesco stores across the UK.