BGC’s Commitment to Hunger Relief

Origins:

Brookshire Grocery Company, with customers, suppliers and community partners, makes impactful contributions in more than 160 communities, mostly rural, in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and now in Oklahoma through new Reasor’s banner. Recent examples include:

Disaster Relief: BGC gave away truckloads of ice and water, and deployed its food trailer “Community Kitchen” to provide free hot meals after East Texas tornadoes (March 2022) and Hurricane Ida in Louisiana (August 2021). BGC donated funding and supplies to American Red Cross relief efforts for Hurricane Ida ($55,000 August 2021) and West Texas wildfires (March 2022).

Support of Hunger Relief/Feeding America-Affiliate Food Banks:

• BGC’s distribution center donates perishable foods weekly/biweekly to East Texas Food Bank, which serves 26 mostly rural counties.
• BGC organizes annual Spirit of Christmas Food Drive companywide to provide a week’s worth of food to people in need. Stores pre-assemble nonperishable food bags that customers purchase and donate. Monetary donations made using scan coupons at registers help purchase additional food. Stores work with community partners to distribute the food locally (Since 1982).
• BGC and Hormel Foods donate protein through annual Hams for Hunger program (week of Easter 2022).
• BGC and Anheuser-Busch made joint $50,000 donation to Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma (March 2022).
• BGC completed $1.2M pledge made in 2020 to help food banks throughout its trade area with increased demand during pandemic (2021). 
• Celebrating Family Meals Month™. BGC encourages families to enjoy more meals at home and offered special sweepstakes for customers and employees in September 2021.

Contribution:

Wood T. Brookshire, who founded Brookshire Grocery Co. in 1928 with the opening of his first small store in downtown Tyler, Texas, believed his calling was to serve others through the grocery business. Almost a century later, the Brookshire family continues W.T.’s legacy and the Company’s commitment to volunteerism and philanthropic giving. BGC and its employees’ efforts are strengthened through partnerships with customers, suppliers and community partners and are focused on food insecurity, education, family health and well-being, and honoring military heroes and first responders. To help support these efforts, BGC has raised over $8,000,000 since 1988 through its annual Brookshire's Charity Golf Tournament, including $910,000 in May 2022, and more than $1,250,000 since 2014 through its annual FRESH 15 and Heroes Run races, donating more than $210,000 in the past year.

Objectives:

As it has for almost a century, Brookshire Grocery Company remains committed to serving people and communities throughout its trade area, which now includes 160 communities served by its 204 retail grocery stores in Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma. The Company strives to be a premier regional grocer that cares for people and helps make communities better and stronger. One of BGC’s primary objectives is to give back in communities where it operates, with hunger relief as a pillar cause. Together with its employees, customers, suppliers and community partners, the Company organizes programs and supports efforts throughout the year to help people at risk for food insecurity and the food banks and hunger relief agencies that serve them.

Impact:

BGC impacts hunger relief significantly in its trade area through donations and programs including:

Disaster Relief: BGC gave approximately 25 trailers of ice and water to residents and deployed its Community Kitchen food trailer to provide 2,500 free hot meals after tornadoes in East Texas (March 2022) and Hurricane Ida in Louisiana (August 2021). BGC, its customers and community partners donated $55,000 to the American Red Cross relief fund and provided supplies after Hurricane Ida and during West Texas wildfires (March 2022). 
East Texas Food Bank Donations: BGC donated $175,000 (provides 1,400,000 meals) (July 2021-June 2022) and more than 1,200,000 pounds of perishable foods (July 2020-June 2022).
Spirit of Christmas Food Drive. BGC’s annual food drive strives to provide at-risk households with meals for a week and distributed approximately 500,000 pounds of food to 18,000 households in December 2021. 
Hams for Hunger: BGC and Hormel Foods donated $135,000 in hams to 70 community food banks (Week of Easter 2022).
Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma Donation: BGC and Anheuser-Busch donated $50,000 (provides 400,000 meals) in this new area for BGC (March 2022).
Completion of $1.2M Food Bank Pledge: In 2021, BGC completed its $1,200,000 pledge made in 2020 to help food banks in its trade area with increased demand during the pandemic (provides 9,600,000 meals).
Celebrating Family Meals Month™: BGC’s promotions included sweepstakes for free groceries for a year for 3 customers, valued at $15,600 total, and $2,500 total in grocery gift cards for 10 employees (September 2021).

Quote:

“Brookshire Grocery Company is committed to fighting food insecurity. A big part of this is our ongoing support of food banks in our trade area, which are dealing with the current challenges of inflation and increased demands on their resources. We are also there for communities after natural disasters like tornadoes, hurricanes and wildfires to provide free hot meals, bagged ice and bottled water. I am very proud and appreciative of our employees, customers, suppliers and community partners who work with us to contribute in these and other meaningful ways that help people and strengthen communities.”

- Brad Brookshire, Chairman and CEO

“As the United Way wraps up our campaign year and completes allocations, I appreciate Brookshire Grocery Company for their continued philanthropic support. The needs of our citizens are never-ending, and BGC’s efforts in food insecurity and commitment to hunger relief, specifically through our agency the East Texas Food Bank, are truly a difference maker.”

- John Gaston, President and CEO, United Way of Smith County

Support Statement:

“As the United Way wraps up our campaign year and completes allocations, I appreciate Brookshire Grocery Company for their continued philanthropic support. The needs of our citizens are never-ending, and BGC’s efforts in food insecurity and commitment to hunger relief, specifically through our agency the East Texas Food Bank, are truly a difference maker.”

- John Gaston, President and CEO, United Way of Smith County