Food retail giant H-E-B and global CPG company Mars joined forces with Texas A&M University-San Antonio this fall to address campus food insecurity, donating supplies, volunteer hours, and a $5,000 cash gift to help students start the academic year with their basic needs covered.

During the university's annual Weeks of Welcome celebration on Aug. 21, employees from both companies volunteered to assemble bags of shelf-stable groceries — including RXBARs, a Mars brand — that were distributed to students at the Penny Social event. The hands-on effort put food directly into students' hands at one of the university's highest-attendance welcome-week gatherings.

The $5,000 Investment

Beyond the food drive, Mars representatives presented a $5,000 donation to university president Dr. Salvador Hector Ochoa during a Grocery Bingo event. The funds are designated for the General's Store, the university's on-campus food pantry, which provides free shelf-stable groceries, fresh items when available, hygiene products, and other essentials to students in a confidential setting. The gift will help replenish inventory and expand the pantry's capacity to serve students throughout the academic year.

"We are grateful to H-E-B and Mars for this generous investment in our students and their success," said President Ochoa. "Many of our students come from communities that have historically faced barriers to accessing resources and opportunities, and support like this helps ensure that their basic needs are met, allowing them to focus on their education."

Why It Matters for Foodservice and Retail

The partnership underscores a growing trend among food and beverage companies to direct corporate social responsibility efforts toward campus food insecurity — a space that has drawn increasing attention from foodservice operators, grocers, and CPG brands alike. For H-E-B, Texas's dominant regional grocer, the initiative aligns with a broader statewide anti-hunger commitment. "As the school year begins, children and families shouldn't have to worry about where their next meal comes from," said Katie Chain, public affairs manager at H-E-B.

For Mars, channeling brand products like RXBARs into community food programs serves dual purposes: addressing a documented social need while building goodwill in a market where authenticity resonates with younger consumers. Nina Garza, a local H-E-B employee who logged over 70 volunteer hours in 2025, captured the human dimension: "I understand what it means to receive snacks and food support, because you don't have much when you're in college."

Campus food pantries have become a focal point for restaurant and hospitality industry giving programs, as operators and suppliers recognize that food-insecure students represent both a social challenge and a future workforce pipeline. Initiatives like this one reflect how food and beverage brands are embedding community investment into their regional market strategies, particularly in high-growth university markets across the Sun Belt. Food & Beverage Magazine has tracked this trend as CPG companies increasingly align product distribution with purpose-driven campus programs.

Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.