On Tuesday afternoon, the Brownwood Walmart store presented Revitalizing Our Community (ROC) with $2,000 in grant money in Walmart’s effort to give back to the community.

“We donate grant money to the community once a year,” said Debbie Deal, store manager of the Brownwood Walmart. “We get grant money and we distribute it out to the different organizations that apply. We work closely with Good Samaritan Ministries, we help with dog food at the (Corinne T. Smith) Animal Shelter, we donate clothes to The Ark, we’re just all about community involvement.”

Walmart also donated food to the ROC’s Holiday Blessings event in November, which is where Draco Miller Jr., ROC President of Conservator, became familiar with the Walmart grants after a discussion with Deal.

“We partnered with Walmart for the ROC holiday blessing in November, and they were gracious enough to donate chicken and food for that giveaway,” Miller said. “Visiting with store manager Ms. Debbie Deal, she mentioned that Walmart does a grant to 501c3 organizations that help out in the community, and she was explaining that there’s a process, but we should apply for the grant.”

Regarding what ROC will use the money for, Miller said, “We’ll able to use this to help with our scholarships that ROC does every year, as well as the Juneteenth celebration that we are putting on this summer. With the amount of scholarships that we give to local high school seniors, as well as community involvement that we do, some of this money could also go toward the Bennie Houston Center and/or the RF Hardin School.”

Deal stated that store donations have to be under $100, and suggested any 501c3 organizations seeking $500 or more apply for the grant, which can be found through Walmart.com under the services tabs, and then by clicking on community & giving.