During the month of April, H-E-B celebrated the Month of the Military Child as part of the retailer’s year-round support of military service organizations. H-E-B’s Operation Appreciation program partnered with organizations including the Military Child Education Coalition (MCEC), reaching nearly 5,000 military children and their families across Texas last month.
The country’s more than 2.1 million military-connected children often face unique challenges, including frequent relocations (changing schools an average of six to nine times during their K–12 years), as well as the emotional impact of parental deployments and extended separations.
“Military children may not wear the uniform, but they serve in extraordinary ways,” said Johnny Mojica, H-E-B Public Affairs Manager. “Their strength, resilience, and sacrifices deserve our recognition and support. At H-E-B, we’re proud to stand with our military youth by investing in their futures, uplifting their families, and honoring them in communities throughout Texas.”
During April, H-E-B-sponsored events included a school-wide program at Hardy Oak Elementary in San Antonio and the Month of the Military Child Festival at Fort Cavazos. At Hardy Oak, H-E-B Partner volunteers helped make the day memorable by providing appreciation gift bags, t-shirts, and refreshments during the school’s annual field day. At Fort Cavazos, H-E-B partnered with the base to host the Month of the Military Child Festival, a family-friendly event celebrating military children and recognizing the challenges they face.
In addition to hosting Month of the Military Child community engagements, H-E-B has helped expand the reach of MCEC by supporting programs such as MCEC en Español, which delivers critical resources in Spanish, and the Student 2 Student (S2S) peer support program, along with workshops, webinars, podcasts, and other programming that support military parents and professionals serving military kids. Since 2012, H-E-B has donated nearly $2 million to MCEC in support of its mission.
Launched in 2013, H-E-B’s Operation Appreciation works with military nonprofits to support service members and their families, sponsoring events throughout the year that celebrate military spouses, promote youth education initiatives, send care packages to deployed troops, build mortgage-free homes for severely injured veterans, and honor important holidays such as Independence Day, Veterans Day, and Memorial Day. Additionally, H-E-B’s annual in-store donation campaign raises funds for military-serving nonprofits. To date, the program has provided more than $12 million in support of dozens of military-based nonprofits across Texas.
H-E-B also invites the community to support military families through its Café Ole by H-E-B Commemorative Collection. With every purchase, $0.35 is donated to military nonprofits, including those that directly support children of U.S. Armed Forces families.
To learn more about our ongoing military support efforts and how you can be part of the impact, visit heb.com/military.
