I’ve written about PCs for People before. They refurbish computers and distribute them to folks who need computers. They were partners in the Blandin Foundation MIRC program. They do good work.

Recently they were featured in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The article highlights their partnership with Mobile Citizen, which allows them to provide low cost wireless Internet access to recipients of their computers. The service is only available in the Twin Cities because Mobile Citizen does not have coverage in rural areas – but it’s working well in the metro area. For the coldest day of the year, I thought I’d share some of the heartwarming stories as told by PCs for People patrons…

“I struggled with trying to help my kids with their homework, and that was very depressing to me,” wrote a 37-year-old mother of three. “They now can get the homework help they need online.”

Another client waited regularly for a computer at her local library, feeling pressured to hurry as she hunted for work and filled out job applications. Using the home computer gifted to her by PCs for People, she learned about and enrolled in a program to get a commercial driver’s license.

A 41-year-old with disabilities wrote that not having a computer with Internet access “held me back from making friends or working. It kept me separate from the world.”