A company that donates computers to underserved communities is working to get people working at home the technology they need during the coronavirus pandemic.
NERDiT Now has been around since 2015, and has donated about 100 computers a year. The company purchases, repairs and resells computers, phones, tablets.
With non-essential businesses working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, NERDiT received a $75,000 grant from Discover Bank to help get computers to 150 local nonprofits in two weeks.
NERDiT Now founder and owner Markevis Gideon says they’re looking for other donations to get as many computers out as possible.
"Right now, we're trying to make sure that anyone who wants to help can fully do that," said Gideon. "So if you go to our website at www.nerditnow.com or you can check out nerditfoundation.org. There's a place that where you can actually log into our website do a donation it can be $5, $10 but every little bit helps."
Gideon says they’re also trying to work with schools to get computers to students in underserved communities.
“Can you come up with maybe five or $10,000 on your own and then let us do our work on our end to try and match that with other funders we have in the community," said Gideon. "And if we can't match it don't worry, one way or another we're going to make sure that we closed that gap and we're going to get the laptops that you need."
And Gideon is setting an ambitious goal for the number of laptops he hopes to get to students from low income families now learning at home with schools closed.
"I think right now our goal is to get 1,000 laptops for these students and it might sound like a high number, but that may only help three or four schools," said Gideon.
Gideon says he has talked to Wilmington's East Side Charter and schools in the Community Education Building in downtown Wilmington about getting donated computers.
So far, NERDiT Now has donated about 60 computers to nonprofits up and down the state like Planned Parenthood of Delaware, the Latin American Community Center, Girls INC of Delaware and La Esperanza.
