With the holiday season in full swing, Austin FC and H-E-B hosted a series of three community giveback events in December. The “Season of Giving” events focused on alleviating the financial stresses that the holidays can present for many families.
“Since the Club’s inception, Austin FC has received an incredible amount of love and support from the Austin community,” said Austin FC VP of Community Impact Trennis Jones. “The H-E-B Season of Giving events are just a few small ways in which we can return the love face-to-face, and bring joy to people during the holiday season.”
“Each holiday season is an opportunity for H-E-B to help make meaningful gifts to our customers and community,” said Leslie Sweet, H-E-B Director of Public Affairs. “Partnering with Austin FC’s Season of Giving is a way for H-E-B to spread holiday joy with the gift of appreciation and free groceries which is a benefit to many families that struggle this time of year. H-E-B is grateful to Austin FC for our shared love of community and this avenue to celebrate and show our immense appreciation to Austin area families.”
On Thanksgiving, Austin FC front office staff – including President Andy Loughnane and VP of Community Impact Trennis Jones – volunteered at Operation Turkey, where they prepared and packaged meals for homeless and underserved families in Austin to ensure they could enjoy a warm Thanksgiving meal. Operation Turkey was also Austin FC's Verde Store roundup partner for the month of November, receiving a donation each time a customer rounded up their total to the nearest dollar amount at checkout.
Austin FC and H-E-B then teamed up to purchase, wrap, and deliver gifts to the families of two students from 4ATX Foundation’s Verde Leaders program, which provides free after-school soccer and leadership training for local children throughout the year. The Giving Tree event took place on Sunday, December 11, with Austin FC defender Julio Cascante greeting the students and their families.
Finally, H-E-B and the Club hosted Surprise and Delight events at three different H-E-B locations throughout Austin. Staff from both organizations, including Austin FC Head Coach Josh Wolff and Austin FC defender Diego Fagundez, surprised families by paying for their groceries in full.
