Buckner Longview received a $12,500 grant from Whataburger to support local Buckner programs and services for children and families. The grant will specifically help provide free life-skills training, connection opportunities, counseling services and more. 

For the past 30 years, Buckner has supported vulnerable children and families in Longview though its programs and services, which include foster care and adoption, Buckner Family Pathways for single parents, free coaching and classes at the Buckner Family Hope Center, and Project HOPES. Each program is designed to reduce the likelihood of poverty, neglect, abuse and removal of children from the home.

“We are extremely grateful to Whataburger for this grant,” said Shelly Smith, executive director for Buckner Longview. “We believe strong families encourage strong communities, and as such, the foundation is making a great investment into the people of Longview.”

The Whataburger grant will be distributed across Buckner Longview’s programs and used throughout 2022. Some of the areas the combination of money and in-kind donations will be used include providing children in foster care with Christmas presents, gifting vulnerable families with free meals and classes, supporting single-parent households as they work to accomplish their goals for self-sufficiency, and more. 

The grant is an example of how Whataburger works alongside local nonprofits to alleviate poverty by creating access and opportunities for all.

“Whataburger celebrates its legacy by giving back to the communities it serves as part of Whataburger Feeding Student Success, our signature community program operating at the intersection of food insecurity and education and focusing on helping children and families at all levels of education to achieve their goals and dreams,” said Kayla Richardson, field brand coordinator for Whataburger Zone 2300. “If a child is hungry, they cannot focus, and that is where Whataburger helps.”

See how you can help strengthen families through volunteering in your community or supporting ministries that help vulnerable children and families.