57 million forints and a Golden Set worth 500 thousand forints are at stake: the future of children may now depend on the votes

Last fall, Tesco announced its “Start for the Future” application program focusing on supporting young generations for the third time, which this time received more than 300 applications. Based on the evaluations of independent professional judges, 171 projects have advanced to the voting phase that has just begun, where customers will literally take the decision into their own hands and decide the fate of 57 million forints. By dropping in the tokens received after each purchase at the checkouts of the department stores, they can have a say in the distribution of the grants. Thus, the organization that collects the most votes per district will receive 500 thousand forints, the second place 300 thousand, and the third place 150 thousand forints.

“We are delighted to see that more than half of the applications came from new applicants, and the quality of the submitted materials is increasing from round to round. The judging results show that local communities are planning more and more consciously and thoughtfully, and want to improve the everyday lives of young people with creative solutions. We are proud that, according to the professional jury, with the Start for the Future program, Tesco has contributed to the development and strengthening of a kind of application culture in several places across the country. Now it is our customers’ turn: I encourage everyone to ask for and throw in the tokens when shopping, as each vote brings local communities closer to realizing a good cause”

– said Nóra Hevesi, Head of Communications at Tesco-Global Zrt.

A move worth gold

On February 13th, even more will depend on the customers at the Tesco hypermarket on Rókusi körút in Szeged. This year, the program will be expanded with a special novelty, the “Golden Token” event, where half a million forints of extra support will be awarded. In the golden token draw starting at 4 p.m., someone can reward a local organization that has made it to the voting stage with 500 thousand forints with a single move. The customer who draws the only golden token out of the 100 tokens can choose on the spot which initiative from the three competing applications in the “Start for the Future” program in their given area they would like to support with the extra prize offered by Tesco. The “Golden Token” event is being organized by Tesco for the first time this year, this time in one of the country’s busiest stores. The event ends with the drawing of the golden chip. More information is available on the www.tesco.hu/kozosseg page.

Important topics are being dissected

The vast majority of projects that have advanced to the voting stage, 151 applications, are specifically aimed at supporting the 0-25 age group, while the rest target other age groups in addition to children and young adults. The applications deal with diverse topics: most of them (43%) prioritize education and skills development, but many initiatives focus on preserving physical and mental health (35%) and building community (27%).

Based on the decision of the professional jury, five organizations received special awards this year, which will each receive an extra 370 thousand forints for their outstanding work within the framework of the program. The awardees include the Jászberény “Helyet!” Foundation’s SütiMűhely program, which encourages young people with autism and disabilities, as well as school-age children, to create a kitchen together; the Zóna Youth Club of the Baranya County Road Junction Foundation, which helps disadvantaged young people from Pécs with thematic activities; the Palini Inkey Boldizsár Elementary School’s safe cycling education project of Nagykanizsa; the renewal of the Békés County Library’s community terrace for young people; and the fR(i)ENDELŐ prevention program for adolescents of the Kispest Social Service Center.

Voting will continue until February 15, 2026. The list of candidates by district and the details of the program can be found on the tesco.hu/kozosseg page.