H-E-B Chairman Charles Butt Donates $20 Million to Support Texas Food Banks

In a substantial display of philanthropy, H-E-B Chairman Charles Butt has contributed a $20 million personal donation to aid food banks across Texas. This funding is earmarked for 20 organizations within the Feeding Texas network, including notable establishments like the San Antonio Food Bank and the Houston Food Bank. As reported by KSAT, these food banks play a crucial role in serving communities suffering from hunger and food insecurity.

Butt's commitment to fighting hunger is backed by distressing statistics. Texas ranks as the second state most likely to experience food insecurity in the U.S., according to information from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Feeding Texas details that four million people within the state live in food insecurity, and children make up a 20 percent share, a reality that Butt aims to rapidly change. "The thought of children going hungry anywhere is painful, but to have that happen here in Texas is unacceptable. My aim is to support access to essential food programs and invest solutions for Texans," Butt said, as reported by KHOU. 

The grocery chain H-E-B is no stranger to hunger relief, having supported Texans in need since the opening of their first store in 1905. In 2023 alone, H-E-B's Hunger Relief program was able to donate more than 33 million pounds of food to families, contributing to the program's staggering total of over one billion pounds of donated food since 1982. This initiative extends across 5,500 nonprofit organizations in Texas and Mexico, underpinning the company's enduring pledge to help end hunger.

H-E-B's tactics to combat hunger are as multifaceted as the issue itself, with year-round initiatives such as summer feeding programs, the H-E-B Help End Hunger donation campaign, and the annual Feast of Sharing dinners, which serve communities across Texas and Mexico during the holiday seasons.