Our Mission and Story

The Loving Libbie Memorial Foundation began in 2006 in memory of a little girl named Libbie, who lost her lifelong battle with leukemia at the tender age of five. The Foundation’s flagship program – Comfort Through Food – provides nutritional and psychosocial relief to Texas children with cancer and other life threatening illnesses as they fight the greatest battle of their young lives.

After Libbie’s death, her mother, Becky Nichols, vowed to keep her daughter’s memory alive by helping other families whose children battled this deadly disease. Becky would never forget the many long weeks she spent in the hospital, trying to help Libbie as she struggled to eat during treatments. She created the Loving Libbie Memorial Foundation to fill a gap, as the only program in Central Texas that supplies pediatric cancer patients with comfort foods while they are undergoing cancer treatments.

The Importance of Nutrition and Psychosocial Support

 Adequate nutrition serves as a key defense in the battle against cancer, particularly for pediatric patients. The right nutritional support helps children manage symptoms associated with their treatment and promotes healing and recovery. Alongside nutritional care, providing psychosocial support for the entire family is crucial during a child’s journey through cancer treatment. This comprehensive approach helps families cope with the emotional and practical challenges they face.

 In 2016, through a generous gift from the Fifth Age of Man Foundation, the Loving Libbie Memorial Foundation added Libbie’s Funtime Foodtruck to extend fun interactive food activities and events for these special kids and their families.

Demand for Comfort Through Food services continues to increase along with the growing Texas population—the number of children diagnosed with cancer at Dell Children’s has tripled since 1998. In 2018, over 1,700 Texas children and adolescents younger than 20 years were diagnosed with cancer. Approximately 200 children and adolescents die of cancer each year, making cancer the most common cause of disease-related mortality for Texans younger than 20.

HEB plays an essential role in supporting our foundation through annual community impact grants. These grants are instrumental in funding our Comfort Through Food program, which aims to bring comfort and support to pediatric cancer patients and their families. HEB’s continued involvement reinforces the foundation’s ability to reach more children and make a meaningful difference in their lives.