Supporting local communities is a core value for SPAR Italy partner Ergon in Sicily. At a time when many households are facing greater financial challenges than usual, the SPAR Partner has donated 200 computers to allow students from financially challenged households to attend remote classes. This donation was made in partnership with the Sicilian Caritas community centres.

Supporting remote education
By giving practical support, Ergon highlights education and community as tools to invest in the future. They recognise that giving students the opportunity to continue their education during the pandemic helps give them hope in a better future. The laptop donation was made possible with the support of Unicredit bank and its ‘Social Impact banking’ initiative.

Caritas Centres
There are 18 Caritas centres in the part of Sicily where Ergon operates. The community centres support school pupils and university students by providing them with appropriate tools to attend remote classes.

“Education is a fundamental value in every society. We are proud to help Sicilian children by donating IT tools that are essential at this time”, explains Gianni Cavalieri, President of Ergon.

“We care about the future of our new generations. Now more than ever, we deem it essential to strengthen the sense of community.  We believe we can overcome this critical phase and look to the future with confidence”, he concluded.

Source: DESPAR Italia

Read more news from SPAR Italy.

About SPAR Italy

SPAR International first granted a licence for the operation of the SPAR Brand to SPAR Italy in 1959. The first store opened in the latter part of 1960 and with it, SPAR became the first partnership of retailers and wholesalers to operate in Italy. SPAR Italy, known locally as DESPAR Italia, licenses regional partners, all of whom work together to grow the brand across the country.

The DESPAR Partners operate stores under three formats: DESPAR neighbourhood Supermarkets, EUROSPAR Supermarkets and INTERSPAR Hypermarkets. Many of the larger format stores are company-owned, reflecting the scale of investment required. While the majority of the company’s turnover is acquired through these larger format stores, the independently owned neighbourhood supermarkets remain a key part of the business.