by Dwight Henson
PISD Communications
To promote the grand opening of their first store in Pasadena, grocery chain Joe V’s Smart Shop recently donated $20,000 to Pasadena ISD schools.
Last month, Joe V’s posted a contest to Facebook encouraging the community to nominate their school for a monetary donation, stating that the school that received the most votes by the end of the competition would win $10,000.
This week, representatives from Joe V’s presented Pomeroy Elementary with the winning check during the grand opening ceremony outside their new location on Red Bluff.
“We have this beautiful new building that we are so thankful for, but the one thing it didn’t come with was a playground,” said Pomeroy Elementary Principal Stephen Harding. “The amount donated by Joe V’s has allowed us to reach our fundraising goal to build one.”
As an added bonus, Joe V’s presented each of the remaining four finalists with a $2,500 donation, including Pasadena Memorial High, Bailey Elementary, Teague Elementary and Red Bluff Elementary.
A no-frills offshoot of H-E-B designed to compete with stores such as Aldi, Joe V’s provides discounted groceries by keeping their overhead costs low by only carrying 9,000 items as opposed to the 37,000 items H-E-B carries.
Pomeroy Elementary Principal Stephen Harding celebrates after his school was announced the winner of Joe V's contest.