When Brookshire Grocery Co. board chairman Brad Brookshire confirmed last week that the potential sale of the firm had been called off, it felt as if the entire community breathed a sigh of relief.

And that’s because Brookshire’s is all about community. In many ways, Brookshire’s is a model corporate citizen, and there’s no way a new owner – particularly if it was to be a supermarket conglomerate such as Albertson’s – could be as responsive to and involved in the communities that Brookshire’s and Super 1 serve.

“The company is no longer for sale, and we can now focus on the things that matter most – our customers and partners,” read the memo Brookshire sent his workers Monday. “I personally want to thank each and every one of you for sticking with us during the past months of difficult uncertainty.”

It was difficult uncertainty for many communities.

Brookshire Grocery Co. in 2012 received the T.B. Butler Award for Outstanding Citizen for displaying commitment for nearly 90 years.

“This year’s T.B. Butler Award recipients truly meet the test of the best attributes of leadership, generosity and focus of purpose,” Nelson Clyde, publisher of the Tyler Morning Telegraph and president of the T.B. Butler Publishing Co., said at the time. “Our recipient has called Tyler home for many generations. The impact it has had on the daily lives of Tylerites may arguably be the most consistent and necessary of any longtime member of the community.”

Brookshire Grocery Co. supports many local charities, including food banks and shelters, but there are aspects of its community involvement that deserve a closer look – and particular praise – in light of Monday’s announcement.

The first is the Heroes Flight program. What began in 2010 with yearly flights to take World War II veterans (and many of their caregivers) to Washington, D.C., to see the monuments has now expanded to Korean War veterans. So far, more than 300 vets have made these journeys.

Brookshire’s funds these flights out of a sense of community.

“It’s so important what they did, in fighting those wars, to give us the freedom that we have today,” Brookshire Grocery Co. spokesperson Rebecca Sanders said in May, when another 30 veterans departed. “What better way and what better day than Memorial Day? Brookshire’s wants to honor those men who sacrificed their time and potentially their lives for their country.”

Those are words you won’t hear from a supermarket giant worried more about its stock prices than its service to its communities.

The second isn’t as flashy as a Heroes Flight. It was a simple birthday party. On Nov. 2, Marvin Dees celebrated his 100th birthday party. Dees had been on the 2013 Heroes Flight, and got to know the Brookshire’s family.

They realized that he has no family in the area, so they took it upon themselves to throw him a party. It was held at the Rice Road Brookshire’s and everyone was invited.

This is a company – and a corporate citizen – to value. We’re glad it’s staying.