H-E-B Provides Support to Its Texas Community Following Mass Shooting
H-E-B is mobilizing to provide community support in the aftermath of a mass shooting that took place at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, on March 24.
Nineteen children and two teachers were killed when a shooter barricaded himself in a Robb Elementary schoolroom around 11:30 a.m. The gunman, 18-year-old Salvador Ramos, arrived at the school after shooting his grandmother at her home. The massacre in Uvalde was the second-deadliest school shooting recorded in the United States, after the 2012 attack at Sandy Hook Elementary, in Connecticut, that left 26 victims dead.
According to a statement from Texas-based H-E-B: “With heavy hearts, Texans witnessed another senseless act of violence that, this time, descended upon an elementary school in Uvalde, taking more than 20 innocent lives. As a member of the Uvalde community for decades, H-E-B is committed to support our Partners and neighbors who have been affected by this tragic situation.”
H-E-B serves the Uvalde community at a store located on 201 East Main street, a little more than a mile from where the mass shooting took place.
To show its support, the grocer is committing $500,000 to aid Texans affected by the tragedy. Customers at H-E-B, Central Market, Joe V’s Smart Shop and Mi Tienda can also contribute by making in-store monetary donations at the register for $1, $3, $5, $50 or $100, or at checkout for curbside and home delivery orders. People can also give directly via the Favor Delivery app after checkout.
Monetary gifts will go into the Spirit of Giving Fund, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that H-E-B created in the wake of 2017’s Hurricane Harvey and the Sutherland Springs shooting. Additional donations to support the fund can be made at heb.com/donate. All funds collected from the donation campaign and gifted to the Spirit of Giving Fund will benefit the victims and families of Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.
H-E-B is also supporting the Uvalde community by having its stores in the area and H-E-B Kitchens provide meals, supplies and other resources to support community centers, first responders and the local school district. Additionally, the grocer will work with nonprofit organizations providing critical aid to those in need and offer crisis counselors to support H-E-B Partners and neighbors grieving throughout the community.
“Our hearts go out to all the families during this tragic and painful time,” said Winell Herron, group VP of public affairs, diversity and environmental affairs at San Antonio-based H-E-B. “Our neighbors in Uvalde, including many of our H-E-B partners, have connections to someone touched by this tragedy. We grieve alongside them as they face unimaginable loss. It is our hope that H‑E‑B’s support, along with our loyal customers’ donations, will help during this difficult situation.”
H-E-B operates more than 400 stores in Texas and Mexico.
