Did you know there is more than one way to donate to United Way? From donating money to donating your time, United Way for Greater Austin provides a variety of ways for you to give back to our community.
- Donate Directly to United Way
- Visit our Volunteer Database and sign up
- Get your company connected to Corporate Volunteering
- Volunteer as a reviewer for our community investment grants
At United Way, we are grateful to have worked with dedicated individuals and companies in the Central Texas Area for more than 90 years. Throughout our time in the Austin community, H-E-B has consistently been one of our biggest supporters and our largest employee giving campaign.
United Way for Greater Austin is interested in partnering with companies throughout the year in many different capacities. When it comes to our corporate partners, United Way knows that we both have a lot to offer each other, and we want to make sure the greater Austin community that benefits the most from our partners working together to build a thriving community for all. Mark Huff, Loss Prevention Manager at Austin 12 H-E-B Plus, is a great example of how we are trying to engage employees in a holistic way.
“When I started working for H-E-B it really opened my eyes to all the different capacities United Way [serves] the community,” Huff said. “To see every organization, you’re helping and how you’re helping them.”
After working with H-E-B for 11 years, Huff became a H-E-B Bastrop in-store coordinator, in charge of the annual United Way Employee Giving Campaign in 2015.
“I believe we raised more than $70,000 for United Way my first year,” Huff said. “Being in charge of the campaign opened my eyes to the sheer numbers we could bring to United Way and how much that could help.”
After moving to the Riverside store in 2017, Huff decided he really wanted to dig deep and see how the money was being orchestrated through United Way, who it was touching and what impact it had on the community. Huff volunteered to be a reviewer for the 2018-2019 Community Investment Grantees. Huff described the process as getting down to the nitty-gritty of an organization’s application and recommending who would be the best fit for funding.
“By reviewing the grant applications, we got to see how well organizations were doing,” Huff said. “And so, we knew that when funding was given to those organizations, it wasn’t just going to help them, it was also going to make better for someone else. That was nice to see.”
From leadership and employee giving to volunteer projects to reviewing grants, H-E-B and its partners, like Mark Huff, have been engaged in serving the Austin community through United Way for 80 years. H-E-B believes that giving back is good for business and has created a culture of service that truly exemplifies what it means to be a part of the community in Austin and beyond.
“Making better for someone else can start from a dollar or from volunteering, or both,” Huff said. “Even though I don’t get to see the smile created by the ways I or H-E-B gives back, I want to know it exists. It could be a mind full of knowledge or a full belly. That’s what motivates me to do more.”