SAN ANTONIO — HEB’s Feast of Sharing may look a little bit different this year, but organizers weren’t going to let the pandemic ruin Christmas for thousands of families who have come to rely on the special meal.
On Tuesday, HEB partnered with the San Antonio Food Bank to distribute close to 11,000 meals for families to enjoy at home.
For most of 2020, celebrations have taken to the roads. Families have marked special occasions with drive-thrus, and that was no different at the AT&T Center on Tuesday, where HEB and the SAFB collaborated for the annual Feast of Sharing.
“We’re just really trying to brighten the holidays for these families that have been struggling because of COVID-19,” said Eric Cooper, food bank CEO. “It’s pretty heartwarming to see the goodness.”
Since 1989, HEB’s Feast of Sharing has served up more than 250,000 meals to families in need at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center—a way of ringing in the holiday season by providing a special meal while sharing a table with neighbors.
But during the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic, gathering with neighbors and sharing a table wasn’t going to happen. So the San Antonio-based grocery chain changed it up.
Volunteers joined the Spurs Coyote to hand out 10,800 meals in a drive-thru event for families to enjoy at home.
“San Antonio is so amazing in the spirit of giving and sharing, and it's fueled us and our ability to make sure people get groceries,” Cooper said.
He said the pandemic has been especially hard on families, made even worse during the holiday.
“Families are worried," Cooper said. “'COVID's taken my job, it's taken my savings, it's taken a loved one. And, now it's going to take my Christmas.'"
He said he hopes the drive-thru meal distribution helps provide hope and encouragement to these families hit hard by the pandemic.
“There are blessings to count. They might be fewer than years past, but there's opportunity to celebrate,” Cooper said. “And I think we want to wish everybody a happy holiday season and we want to make sure that they have the ingredients that brings their family to the table so that they can enjoy a meal.”
HEB is also donating more than 340,000 meals to fight hunger across Texas and Mexico, in addition to making monetary and food donations to 18 Texas food banks and more than 40 hunger relief agencies like Meals on Wheels.