H-E-B to the rescue

San Antonio's beloved H-E-B pledges $3 million to support coronavirus efforts

H-E-B has committed $3 million to local organizations dealing with coronavirus. Photo courtesy of H-E-B

As major Texas cities shut down bars and restaurant dining rooms and the threat of coronavirus looms large, a beloved San Antonio grocer has pledged a hefty gift to support vulnerable citizens and local nonprofits.

Grocery giant H-E-B has announced a $3 million commitment to “provide relief to some of our most vulnerable neighbors: seniors, children, and low-income families,” according to the store. The gift comes as schools are closed, events canceled, work hours curtailed, and essential organizations see a rise in demand for resources.

That means $1.2 million to support 18 food banks throughout Texas, which will provide more than 6 million meals. H-E-B promises to deliver 15 truckloads of food and household supplies to the various food banks that are affiliated with Feeding Texas, a member of Feeding America, the nation’s leading domestic hunger-relief organization.

The $3 million donation will also provide $500,000 in financial assistance to organizations dedicated to mobilized home feeding services for seniors and low-income families, such as Meals on Wheels.

The company will disperse $300,000 to assist Texas Biomedical Research Institute, a San Antonio-based organization with a team dedicated to coronavirus research. The institute has launched a unique research project to be among the first in the nation to develop the laboratory model necessary for testing diagnostics, vaccines, and treatments to combat coronavirus, according to a statement.

Finally, the donation will include $1 million to support H-E-B’s nonprofit partners that are currently experiencing an increased need as a result of the coronavirus.

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SPARE ART

North San Antonio gets crafty with new creative supplies shop

Local nonprofit Spare Parts recently opened its brick-and-mortar center for creative reuse. Photo by Ismael Rodriguez.

One local nonprofit organization has spent years getting environmental accountability and community education down to a fine art. And now it’s getting crafty with a new brick-and-mortar shop in North San Antonio aimed to help locals to go green.

Spare Parts was founded in 2010 by executive director and longtime arts educator Mary Elizabeth Cantú to provide a creative spark for area students and schools lacking arts funding and resources. Through a variety of educational programs, public art exhibitions, events, and the organization’s traveling Mini Art Museum, Spare Parts has enlightened thousands of students and San Antonians, all while fostering reuse practices and sustainability, a key tenet of the nonprofit.

Spare Parts’ latest endeavor is another artistic triumph. Its new center for creative reuse, located at 13451 Wetmore Rd., is nothing less than a crafter’s delight. The shop features an impressive array of “pre-loved” and price-reduced artsy merchandise — from paint supplies and paper crafts to sewing items, beading and jewelry, school and office supplies, vintage gadgets, and crafting kits — all of which has been rescued from area landfills.

Cantú notes that proceeds from the new Spare Parts’ shop will enable the organization to further increase creative and educational experiences for San Antonio students and families. But even more so, she hopes the shop will help locals embrace the concept that one person’s trash can be another’s artistic treasure.

“There really isn’t any more room in the world for this stuff. Buying pre-loved at places like Spare Parts or other stores is a way to reduce the amount of things [people] feel that they need,” Cantú said in a recent interview with the San Antonio Sentinel. “We’re challenging people to rethink things around them, buy pre-loved, and find a way to be creative in their lives.”

In the time of COVID-19, however, getting the creative juices flowing isn’t as simple as popping into the Spare Parts shop. Though the center for creative reuse is open, the store is currently offering only weekend curbside pickup of items ordered through its website. But crafters shouldn’t despair, as Spare Parts is offering private in-person shopping experiences in the new year, with the first planned for January 16 and 17.

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