HOUSTON – Three Brothers Bakery is surviving another crisis.
Janice and Bobby Jucker, co-owners of the iconic Houston business, are quick to recall that they’ve been through four floods, a fire and hurricane -- and weathered them all.
Recommended Videos
“My wife and I are the king and queen of disasters,” Bobby Jucker told KPRC 2. “We’ve gone through more than anyone that I know, and we don’t want anybody to dethrone us because that’s a bad thing.”
They said they learned a lot of things each time they’ve rebuilt their business, about insurance and building and savings, but that coronavirus was a crisis that still surprised them.
More coronavirus coverage
• Harris County heat map shows coronavirus cases by ZIP code
• We’ve got answers to 75 of your health and financial coronavirus questions
• KPRC 2 reporter Haley Hernandez answers questions readers are sending her every day
• Resources for Texans who have lost their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic
• Who is getting coronavirus in the Houston area? We’ve crunched the data in these charts
• This is when each state is expected to peak in deaths from coronavirus
• This is what the coronavirus spread looks like right now across the world right now
• Find all the ways you can help local businesses in Houston on our Support Local page
• Share your favorite takeout food in Houston on our pins page dedicated to takeout food
• All the coronavirus news can be found at our page dedicated to everything you need to know
• Sign up for a daily newsletter on coronavirus news and Haley Hernandez’s health inbox newsletter
• Sign up for our text service and get your coronavirus questions answered
This time, they knew they needed to reach out for help.
That’s where another Texas business – the Spoetzl Brewery which makes Shiner Bock – stepped in to help. The Juckers applied for a grant with the Texas Restaurant Association, and received a portion of the brewery’s $500,000 donation to the Texas Restaurant Relief Fund.
The Juckers received a $2,500 grant for their business. The couple said it has helped them avoid laying off their staff and increased their efforts to feed the area’s homeless and first responders.
The Juckers explained the grant money has helped them set up food funds for various local organizations, such as the Emergency Aid Coalition, to provide bread and other baked goods at a discount.
“My dad and the three brothers are Holocaust survivors and they were in the camps for over four years, so they know what it’s like to be hungry,” Bobby Jucker said. “That is not something that you ever want to experience, so when you’ve been through that, you understand that and you want to give back. ... They told me, ‘We make extra bread, you’re going to give this, you’re not going to throw this in the garbage, you’re going to give this to people so that they can eat.’”
The effort to give has helped keep the business open and running, and its team intact.
“I cannot do this by myself,” Bobby Jucker said. “We have a team, and when you have a great team, you really don’t want to break that up because to make those gears turn again is so hard so for us. It’s so important for us to keep our employees employed.”
How to Help
What they need: Donations
How to give: The TX Restaurant Relief Fund via the Houston Restaurant Association website here.
How to see what others have given: Go to the Houston Restaurant Association website and check out its news section for donations information.