SAN LUCAS — Loaves, Fishes & Computers (LFC) has received a $20,000 Spectrum Digital Education grant for its digital literacy initiatives and refurbished computer program.
The grant is part of the broadband connectivity provider’s six-year, $8 million commitment to promote digital education and broadband technology in communities across the country.
On April 30, representatives from Spectrum were joined by Monterey County Supervisor Chris Lopez and Monterey County Superintendent of Schools Deneen Guss to present a check to LFC at the San Lucas School in San Lucas.
Loaves, Fishes & Computers provides digital skills classes and workshops, and trains volunteers to refurbish donated computer equipment in order to provide low-cost computer systems to in-need residents.
With this funding, LFC will expand its digital fluency and digital inclusion initiatives in the rural areas of South Monterey County.
“In our online world, digital skills are critical to navigating everything from finding a job, to going to school, to buying groceries – yet too many families still have not adopted internet at home,” said Rahman Kahn, Group Vice President of Community Impact for Charter Communications Inc., which operates the Spectrum brand of Internet, Mobile, TV and Voice services. “As one of the largest internet providers in the U.S., Spectrum is committed to supporting local initiatives like Loaves, Fishes & Computers that promote digital literacy and inclusion and help to educate community members in Monterey County about the value of adopting broadband in their lives so they can succeed in today’s connected society.”
The $25,000 Spectrum Digital Education grant is the fifth awarded to Loaves, Fishes & Computers, bringing total Spectrum support for the organization to $123,000 over the past five years.
“We can’t thank Spectrum enough for their generous award of Spectrum Digital Education grants,” said Gabriela López Chávez, executive director for LFC. “More than ever, families are in great need of a working computer and reliable internet, and parents are required to become technical experts to support their children’s education. Spectrum is a critical partner in serving our community’s needs and we are grateful for their assistance in moving closer to digital inclusion. We greatly appreciate the additional funding and look forward to our further expansion.”
Gonzales resident and small-business owner, Kira Gutierrez, has benefitted from LFC’s digital skills classes.
“These workshops have helped me to be more confident when using programs like Google Sheets,” she said. “Now I can create invoices and provide them to my clients.”
Selected as a recipient in 2022, LFC is one of 47 nonprofit organizations that Spectrum is supporting through last year’s Spectrum Digital Education grant program, which totaled $1.1 million to support digital literacy in underserved rural and urban communities within Spectrum’s 41-state service area.
Spectrum launched the program in 2017, recognizing that education and digital literacy are as important as affordability relative to a household’s lack of broadband services. Excluding this year’s awards, Charter has funded 99 nonprofit organizations, supporting more than 95,000 people in 22 states and Washington, D.C., through Spectrum Digital Education.
Correction: The grant amount received was $20,000, not $25,000 as printed on the check in the photo. The story has been updated to reflect this.
