Don’t throw away your old laptop. Give it to this nonprofit

Take Stock in Children of Manatee County is collecting used laptops so the students receiving scholarships through the program can have a computer to use for their school work.

Cheryl Evans, Take Stock Manatee's Program Coordinator, said many of the students in Take Stock do not have regular access to a computer.

"We were shocked to learn that many of our scholars are completing their homework assignments and even writing college essays on their cell phones," Evans said. "It adds another barrier to our scholars. Without the necessary resources, it's even harder for our scholars to get into a great college to get the career that will break the cycle of poverty."

The Sarasota PC Users Group will be deleting hard drives and refurbishing the computers before they are distributed to Take Stock’s scholars. A press release from Take Stock said the group would be using an industry-standard process to wipe the computer and that Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Manatee County government and several area businesses had donated used computers.

“This same ‘cleaning process’ is used throughout industry and government,” the release states. “Be assured that your precious information will be deleted, and you are safe.”

Take Stock provides mentoring and college scholarships to students in need.

Used laptops should be brought to Take Stock’s administration office, located in the School District of Manatee County's Professional Support Center: 2501 63rd Ave E, Bradenton FL 34203.For more information, call Take Stock Manatee, at 941-751-6550 ext. 2368 or email info@takestockmanatee.org.

This story was originally published June 20, 2017 at 12:55 PM with the headline "Don’t throw away your old laptop. Give it to this nonprofit."