More than 400 H-E-B stores and work locations adopted over 1,300 fire, law enforcement and EMS stations statewide through the grocer’s annual Helping Heroes program, with the company donating $150,000 to first responder nonprofits to commemorate the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11.
In the days leading up to and on Sept. 11, more than 3,000 H-E-B Partners delivered meals, participated in service projects and personally thanked emergency personnel throughout Texas. The San Antonio-based grocer also provided adopted stations with meals, snacks, pantry items and other gifts.
The 25th anniversary donation is part of H-E-B’s annual commitment totaling more than $700,000 in support of first responder initiatives throughout the state.
“Each year, H-E-B Helping Heroes gives our Partners an opportunity to thank the courageous first responders who selflessly serve our communities,” said Winell Herron, SVP of public affairs, diversity and environmental affairs. “For more than two decades, this program has been an important part of our long-standing, year-round commitment to support emergency personnel across the state.”
The initiative recognizes Sept. 11 as a National Day of Service and Remembrance, paying tribute to those who risked and lost their lives during the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks.
Launched in 2005, the program has grown considerably; when The Shelby Report last covered Helping Heroes in 2019, roughly 2,800 Partners adopted more than 700 fire stations, a footprint that has since nearly doubled and expanded beyond firehouses to law enforcement and EMS stations in the more than 300 communities the company serves.
H-E-B, with sales of more than $50 billion, operates more than 455 stores in Texas and Mexico with more than 175,000 employees.
Related: H-E-B’s Helping Heroes Celebrates Emergency Responders Across Texas On Sept. 11