Supporting The Salvation Army in Exeter With a Chromebook Trolley Donation
Last year, Classroom365 donated a Chromebook charging trolley to The Salvation Army in Exeter to support its Employment Plus local project.
We were recently delighted to receive an update from Alan Read on the impact the donation has had over the past 12 months. Since January 2025, the project has welcomed 823 visits, with 175 iLearn courses completed across a range of subjects. Many began with Food Hygiene Levels 1 and 2, helping to create opportunities for paid work in catering environments.
A Practical Donation With a Positive Impact
The Chromebook trolley has provided more than simple storage and charging. Because the Chromebooks are kept fully charged and ready for use, the team has been able to extend activity into a quieter area of the building, giving people a better environment for focused learning and coursework.
Alan also shared that the project uncovered a wider issue affecting many people facing homelessness: some clients found themselves caught between the need to work and the risk of losing temporary supported housing if they took on too many paid hours. In response, the group created a safe and welcoming environment where people could still attend for company, structure and purpose.
Supporting Training, Confidence and Community
In time, this led to further positive developments. Some clients began preparing and serving toasties for those attending, creating a social activity alongside the employment support work. From there, another group who had gained food hygiene and allergen awareness qualifications decided they wanted to give something back while sorting out housing and next steps.
As a result, they helped establish a Community Café, serving breakfast every Thursday morning. The café provides a valuable service to local people, while also giving the team real hands-on experience and the opportunity to do something meaningful.
For us, it is especially encouraging to see how a straightforward piece of technology can support a project delivering such meaningful results. At Classroom365, we spend most of our time helping schools make better use of technology, so it is equally rewarding to know that practical IT equipment can also make a real difference in a wider community setting.
We would like to thank Alan and the team in Exeter for sharing this update with us and for the important work they continue to do.
Find out more about Classroom365 and the work we do to support schools and communities.