Coles is throwing its support behind Benalla Little Athletics Centre with a $1000 grant to buy new equipment for the season from the Coles Little Athletics Community Fund.
The latest round of grants takes Coles’ donation to grassroots little athletics centres to more than $2.2 million in four years and will help centres buy new sports and safety equipment such as javelins, discuses, hurdles and defibrillators to support aspiring athletes and community volunteers.
This year’s grants have been made possible with money raised by Coles, its banana growers and customers during the inaugural Coles Little Athletics Banana A-Peel held earlier this year, when 10 cents of every kilogram of Cavendish bananas sold in Coles supermarkets was donated to the cause.
Benalla Little Athletics president Ashley Bolitho said the Coles grant would help the centre to provide a quality program for its athletes and volunteers.
“Currently our long jump pit sand does not meet the requirements for Little Athletics Victoria and this grant will enable us to purchase new sand to meet these requirements so that we can continue to offer this popular event to our athletes,” Mr Bolitho said.
Coles acting state general manager Daniel Ellul said it was delighted to continue to support grassroots little athletics centres in Victoria through initiatives like the Coles Little Athletics Community Fund and banana donations.
“Coles has been a proud supporter of little athletics for over five years, and we’re delighted to provide over $50,000 in sports equipment grants to Victoria’s Little Athletics centres to help them gear up for this season,” Mr Ellul said.
“We know very well the impact the pandemic has had on local clubs and communities over the past two years, and we hope these grants will help them to recover and look forward to a new Little Athletics season ahead.”
More than $250,000 in sports equipment grants were distributed to 73 little athletics centres across Australia in the latest round of grants from the Coles Little Athletics Community Fund.
Since the fund was established four years ago, Little Athletics Victoria centres have shared in nearly $500,000 from money raised and donated by Coles and its banana growers and customers.
In addition to the distribution of sports equipment grants, Coles will continue to support little athletics centres across Victoria with banana donations from local supermarkets throughout the season.