H-E-B donates $110,000 to San Antonio Food Bank

Money will pay for 770,000 nutritious meals during holiday season

SAN ANTONIO – September is Hunger Action Month, but H-E-B on Wednesday decided to get an early start with a big donation to the San Antonio Food Bank.

The grocery chain presented the food bank with a check for $110,000 that was raised by customers over the summer during H-E-B's Help End Hunger campaign.

"It couldn't come at a better time," said Eric Cooper, president of the San Antonio Food Bank. "We just finished a busy summer, fed a lot of kids. But as we're now gearing up for holidays, a deposit like this in the Food Bank helps ensure that families will have food for the upcoming holiday season."

The money will help the food bank serve about 770,000 nutritious meals to local children, families and seniors.

The rate of children living in poverty in Texas is 24.3 percent; the national rate is 20 percent; and the rate in Bexar County is 25.1 percent. According to the State of San Antonio Children 2016 report, that means one in four children in Bexar County is likely to struggle with food insecurity.

According to the San Antonio Food Bank, one in five people in Bexar County is potentially eligible to receive food stamp assistance, yet only about half that many actually participate in the program. Each week, approximately 58,000 people receive emergency food assistance from an agency in the San Antonio Food Bank network.

H-E-B customers across Texas participated in the 49-day H-E-B Help End Hunger campaign, raising $746,000 for food banks across the state.


About the Author:

Diana Winters is a San Antonio-area native, Emmy award-winning and GLAAD-nominated journalist who loves the Alamo City. She is the executive producer of SA Live, creator of South Texas PRIDE and co-creator of Texas Eats.