SAN ANTONIO, TX (June 5, 2015) - As part of this year's 30th Annual H-E-B Tournament of Champions charitable event series, H-E-B partnered with Operation Finally Home and PulteGroup to help two deserving military families get a fresh start with brand new homes in the Champions Park neighborhood in San Antonio. Each house was gifted to the family mortgage-free, fully furnished and stocked with food and home supplies.

Today, hundreds of H-E-B volunteers lined the streets of the Champions Park neighborhood to welcome the two veterans and their families as they arrived. A giant H-E-B military-themed trailer was moved to reveal the new 2,458-square-foot homes, valued at $225,000 each. Operation Finally Home Founder Dan Wallrath and Special Advisory Board Member Retired Lieutenant General Rick Lynch joined H-E-B during the celebration.

"It is truly an honor to present these two deserving families with a new home they can call their own," said Winell Herron, H-E-B Group Vice President of Public Affairs and Diversity. "They have sacrificed so much for our country, and we are thrilled to help these families get back on their feet and start this exciting new chapter of their lives."

Unilever and Anheuser-Busch were on hand for the home presentation, as well as representatives from PulteGroup, who helped build both homes from the ground up.

"From the interior furnishings to the design and construction of each home, we are honored to partner with H-E-B and Operation Finally Home to help these families make the transition back into civilian life a little easier and a lot less stressful," said Laurin Darnell, president of PulteGroup's San Antonio Division.

H-E-B surprised both families with the news about their new homes last night during the H-E-B Tournament of Champions dinner presentation. Throughout the day on Thursday, volunteers helped put finishing touches on the two homes, including landscaping, painting, assembling fixtures, building playground equipment and filling the pantry with household necessities. Additionally, during the home's construction, H-E-B Partners wrote special messages of hope, support and appreciation on the walls and beams of the homes.

These homes are dreams come true for the Range and Robinson families, both chosen by Operation Finally Home, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to building homes for wounded, ill or injured veterans, surviving spouses and their families.

Army Specialist Haywood Range, 28, is married with two daughters (ages 7 and 8) and a one-year-old son. In 2006, Range was severely injured in a training incident in preparation for upcoming deployment to Afghanistan where his combat vehicle rolled approximately 10 times. As a result, his right arm was amputated and he has undergone numerous surgeries. Randy K. Robinson, 30, served as an Army Sergeant in Afghanistan where he was involved in a vehicle crash that caused his combat vehicle to roll down the side of a mountain, hitting multiple improvised explosive devices. He is married with three sons (ages 3, 5 and 6) and a daughter (age 3), and hopes to start a business that funds retreats for veterans to assist with their healing.

Volunteerism is a key component of the annual H-E-B Tournament of Champions, which also includes a series of golf and tennis events, as well as a variety of work projects benefitting Texas charities.

"The strong support of our suppliers and H-E-B Partners has made this tradition such a success for the past 30 years," Herron said. "We're proud to have surpassed this year's fundraising goal of $8 million, which will benefit more than 300 deserving nonprofit organizations throughout Texas," she added.

As part of the charity work component of the Tournament of Champions, over 1,100 volunteers spent time at three area nonprofit organizations – the San Antonio Food Bank, San Antonio Sports SPARK at Wheatley Middle School and Boysville, Inc. – building a first-of-its-kind community park, working on a community garden, helping provide meals to seniors and children, distributing food to more than 700 families and volunteering with Operation Finally Home to put the finishing touches on the two new homes.

An annual tradition since 1986, The H-E-B Tournament of Champions is one of the largest charitable events of its kind in the nation. This year's tournament raised over $8 million to benefit more than 300 Texas nonprofit organizations. Since its inception, the H-E-B Tournament of Champions has raised over $80 million and has helped more than 600 nonprofit organizations throughout Texas. The H-E-B Tournament of Champions was created to provide an opportunity for H-E-B's suppliers to partner with the company to support nonprofit organizations focused on youth, children and education across the state of Texas.