Sixteen years ago, Pete Trevino found himself in a place a lot of families know too well. His father had passed away, and the family needed a way to cover the funeral. A barbecue pit became their answer, and that act of turning a meal into a means of survival planted a seed that grew into something the Sparkling City celebrated formally this summer.

On July 14, 2026, the Corpus Christi City Council issued a proclamation honoring Trevino and the multi-entity nonprofit he built over the past 16 years. The organization now known as the Big Bertha Foundation provides disaster relief, medical and funeral expense assistance, and $500 scholarships for graduating high school seniors and college students across Texas and beyond.

A Mission Built from Personal Loss

The story behind the Big Bertha Foundation is not a corporate origin story. It is a Corpus Christi story. Trevino started his mission after the death of his father, using what he had available to raise money and help cover the costs of laying him to rest. That experience of cooking as an act of grief and community generosity became the foundation's defining metaphor: every plate served through Big Bertha fuels something real for a family in need.

The organization's own statement puts it plainly. Their vision is a world where no family faces hardship alone, where compassion and support are served with every meal, and where communities are empowered to thrive. That language is not abstract when you understand where it came from. Trevino built this from a lived moment of loss, not from a grant application or a business plan.

What the Foundation Does Today

Over 16 years, Trevino grew a single act of community into a multi-entity nonprofit that partners with other organizations to raise money and serve families across 29 Texas counties. The work falls into three main categories: disaster relief for families when emergencies hit, medical and funeral expense assistance to ease the financial weight during the hardest moments, and scholarships to help students keep moving forward.

The Big Bertha Foundation also connects community partners through programs like Mobile Community Connection Centers, Back 2 School Night, and Christmas of Hope. Nonprofits and businesses can sign up to join those programs and expand the reach of aid into neighborhoods that might not otherwise see it. That network approach reflects Trevino's long-term vision of growing the foundation's reach nationally, and eventually globally.

The City Council proclamation in July placed the weight of official community recognition behind that 16-year record. It was not a ribbon-cutting or a groundbreaking. It was the city saying, in formal terms, that what Pete Trevino has built matters to Corpus Christi.

A New Name and a Growing Future

The foundation marks its one-year anniversary under the Big Bertha name on August 13, 2026, a milestone that lands just weeks after the city proclamation. The timing makes August a meaningful month for the organization and for the families across South Texas who have relied on it. With summer drawing toward the back-to-school season, the foundation's scholarship and youth support work carries particular resonance for local families navigating a stretch of the year that comes with its own financial pressures.

Learn more about the Big Bertha Foundation's programs and how to support their work at the Big Bertha Foundation volunteer and donation page, and keep an eye out for the August 13 anniversary milestone as the organization celebrates a year under its current name.