Kroger Hosts Hurricane Harvey Relief BBQ

The Kroger Co. organized a family-friendly barbeque in Cypresswood, Texas to help boost morale, unite the community and show support for employees from two Kroger stores temporarily shut down by Hurricane Harvey flooding.

Employees from the Champion Forest/Cypresswood and Cypresswood/Highway 249 stores have had to relocate to nearby stores following the closure of the two locations which are currently in the process of being restored to reopen and resume service for their local communities impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Displaced employees and their families, as well as members of the local community, were welcome to attend the barbeque.

Kroger’s community barbeque featured fun activities including face painting, balloon twister, a glitter fairy with glitter tattoos, a photo booth and photo buttons. There were also life-size characters strolling around the venue to provide additional entertainment.

Among the Kroger execs who played in a key role in the community event included Marlene Stewart, president of Kroger’s Houston division, Rachel Ross, VP of merchandising, Mike Krell, VP of operations and store managers. Throughout the event, attendees were encouraged to find solace in shared experiences while enjoying Houston barbeque cooked up fresh on the Johnsonville Big Taste Grill, which is 65-feet-long and can grill 750 bratwursts at once.

At the event, Brian Greene, the president and CEO of the Houston Food Bank accepted a $100,000 donation from The Kroger Co. Foundation to supply operational support and meals to families affected by the floods.