H-E-B Donates $10M to Help Build New Elementary School in Uvalde
Following last month’s school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, H-E-B and the Butt family — owners of the grocery store chain — have become founding donors of a project to build a new elementary school campus in the city. The grocer and the Butt family, which collectively have donated $10 million to the cause, will work with Texas firms Huckabee and Joeris General Contractors to complete the project.
Robb Elementary served more than 500 students in grades two through four and is set to be demolished, though a timeline has not yet been set. The location and design of the new elementary school are also still to be determined.
According to H-E-B, the new campus “will significantly enhance educational offerings and implement state-of-the-art safety and security measures, and infrastructure to support the availability of new technology.”
“Our first store in Uvalde opened in 1959, and Uvalde people are our people,” said Charles Butt, H-E-B chairman. “As we continue to mourn tremendous loss, I join with my family and H-E-B in working to ensure the Uvalde community can move forward from this tragic event. Our children are this country’s future, and our schools should be a safe place where children can thrive and envision new possibilities.”
H-E-B serves the Uvalde community at a store located on 201 East Main, about one mile from where the mass shooting took place. The grocer previously committed $500,000 to aid Texans affected by the tragedy. Customers at H-E-B, Central Market, Joe V’s Smart Shop and Mi Tienda were also able to contribute monetary donations at the register or at checkout for curbside and home delivery orders.
The H-E-B Tournament of Champions Charitable Trust also announced earlier this month that it would make a $500,000 donation to support nonprofits helping those in Uvalde.
The largest privately held employer in Texas, San Antonio-based H-E-B has more than 420 stores and 145,000 employees in Texas and Mexico. The company is No. 16 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
