The Shelby Report’s Jan Meade attended the recent Brookshire Brothers Charitable Foundation Golf Tournament in Bryan, Texas, where she caught up with John Alston, president and CEO, to learn more about the company, its foundation and the efforts of both.
What a great turnout at your annual Brookshire Brothers golf charity event. Tell me more about it, the money raised for good deeds and how many years you have been hosting this event.
For more than 100 years, Brookshire Brothers has made charitable contributions throughout the communities it serves. The Brookshire Brothers Charitable Foundation, a separately operated 501(c)(3) organization, furthers the company’s mission by providing grants to nonprofits focused on the fight against food insecurity, education and the health and well-being of our neighbors in need.
Brookshire Brothers began hosting its charitable golf tournaments in the mid-1990s. The private tournament is open only to Brookshire Brothers’ vendor partners and happens twice a year.
The foundation was established in 2007 in order to more efficiently delegate the funds that were raised during the tournaments. Since that time, it has given away more than $2 million to nonprofits and educational foundations across the state of Texas and in western Louisiana.
Each year, we receive approximately 80 applications from organizations requesting funds. In 2024, we awarded $133,000 to 52 incredible organizations. Twenty-two of those nonprofits were first-time recipients of the BBCF grant.
Typically, Brookshire Brothers hosts the tournament in its hometown of Lufkin, Texas, at the Crown Colony Country Club; however, due to extensive renovations of that course in 2024, Brookshire Brothers moved the tournament to the prestigious Miramont Country Club in Bryan, Texas.
From the pristinely manicured Robert Trent Jones II-designed golf course to the European-inspired architecture of the 93,000-square-foot clubhouse, Miramont embodies a first-class, refined and exclusive experience. In the 2021 rankings of the top country club clubhouses in America, Club + Resort Business magazine rated Miramont as the sixth-best clubhouse in the country and the best in Texas.
The BBCF golf tournament hosts two rounds in the morning and in the afternoon for a total of 260 golfers. It traditionally sells out of teams and sponsorships within just a few weeks of opening registration.
I saw a few recipients at your event. Can you talk about a few of the organizations you serve through your foundation?
The BBCF focuses on organizations that aid in the fight against food insecurity, provide education and take care of the health and well-being of members in their community.
Just a sample of organizations that benefit from the foundation’s generosity include the Boys & Girls Clubs in multiple counties, a variety of food pantries, education foundations, a cancer alliance that provides gas cards to those seeking treatment, museums and art centers, programs that teach women valuable life skills, women’s shelters and child advocacy centers and the Salvation Army.
At each tournament, we ask our grant recipients to volunteer as “witnesses” for our hole-in-one and putting contests.
Are there any other events you host that raise money for the foundation?
The Brookshire Brothers Charitable Foundation also hosts an annual Trick or Trot 5K & Fun Run, featuring a 5K race and one-mile fun run, pumpkin painting, costume contest, Mascot Mad Dash, vendor booths, giveaways and pie walk.
This year’s event begins at 8 a.m. Oct. 26 at the Pitser Garrison Convention Center Plaza in Lufkin, Texas.
Brookshire Brothers’ mission is “Good people who sell good food and do good deeds.” Can you elaborate on this?
At our core, we strive every day to be good people who sell good food and do good deeds in the communities where we live and work. As a 100 percent employee-owned company, it truly is our people who make Brookshire Brothers what it is.
We are passionate about what we do and hold ourselves in high esteem. You can feel a difference in our stores – there’s always someone there to ask how you’re doing or if you need anything. Our employee owners are knowledgeable about the store and its products, and we pride ourselves in providing a safe, clean environment in which to shop. We have dozens of employee owners with more than 40 years of tenure, and we think that says a lot.
Our commitment is to provide our communities with high-quality products and top-notch customer service. We also encourage our employee owners to be involved in their own communities through volunteerism and participating in community events.
In addition to the BBCF, Brookshire Brothers provides donations throughout the year to local first responders, food pantries and community-sponsored events, among others.
As I visited your beautiful College Station store, I couldn’t help but reminisce on the many trips to visit my son while he was in college there. The store caters to students as a place to not only shop for groceries but to study, socialize and enjoy good times. Please share more.
Ideally situated near student housing and Kyle Field, this 40,000-square-foot location brings more than just food, fuel and pharmacy to Aggieland.
We have all the top-quality products that our customers have come to expect from Brookshire Brothers, and our extended deli lineup features smoked in-house BBQ, fresh salads, paninis, hamburgers and, of course, our famous fried chicken. Brookshire Brothers Brews serves up beer on tap, wine by the glass and specialty coffee.
Stage 12, which connects to the store, is a one-of-a-kind concert and event venue, where we host monthly free movie nights, live music, Singo (a musical bingo game) and other unique events. The space is available to rent for parties, conferences or other gatherings.
Inside, there is an upstairs lounge that pays tribute to Texas A&M’s equestrian legacy and is perfect for studying or lunch breaks. This unique store has become a favorite hangout spot and place to shop for A&M students and community members. It truly is a one-stop-shop.
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