Stone Brewing, one of the nation’s largest and most successful craft brewing operations, is also one of the most generous in 2013, giving more than $650,000 to charitable causes.
“Stone is proud to continue our longstanding company principle of actively contributing to worthy charities every year,” said Stone CEO and Co-founder Greg Koch. “This year’s contributions reflect our dedication to the community and the charities that make a positive difference for the people and initiatives they serve. Cheers to them!”
Some of the events and recipients of Stone Brewing’s generosity in the past 12 months include:
Stone 17th Anniversary and International Beer Festival– All $250,000 in proceeds from this festival went to charities that include the Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos, Fight ALD, Palomar Family YMCA, Surfrider Foundation, and the California State University San Marcos Foundation.
Stone Brewing Co. Tours– Stone holds tours daily and $1 of each $3 admission is donated to charity. The more than $50,000 collected from the tours, designated as donations, was disbursed among charities such as Project Walk Spinal Cord Injury Recover Center, Escondido Creek Conservancy, TERI Campus of Life, and Casa de Amparo.
Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens, Liberty Station Pre- Opening– Stone opened its second farm to table restaurant in 2013 and held three pre- opening events. Stone donated half of the proceeds, which amounted to $15,000, to two different charities: NTC Foundation received $10,000 and the National Marine Mammal Foundation received $5,000.
Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens Liberty Station 12/15 IPA: Ales for ALS IPA– A special, low- alcohol IPA was brewed at the Liberty Station facility and participating brewers were given access to a special blend of hops, free of charge, with the agreement that they would donate a portion of the beer’s sales to the cause. The result was a $10,000 donation to ALS TDI, the world’s leading Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease) research organization.
Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens- Liberty Station Operation Homefront IPA– This donation was made as part of the Hops for Heroes initiative, a popular fund raiser at other American craft breweries. Stone brewed a special Operation Homefront IPA using ingredients such as orange peel, Chinook, and Cascade hops. Sales of this special brew added up to donations of $3,000 to Operation Homefront, a non- profit organization that works to support U.S. military families in need.
Hop- Con: The w00stout Launch Festival– This event was held to introduce an interesting beer to the world, a collaboration beer known as Drew Curtis/Wil Wheaton/Greg Koch Stone Farking Wheaton w00stout. Proceeds from the event were donated to two charities, with $1,000 going to the Hero Initiative and $1,000 going to Ecolife.
San Diego Blood Bank– No money was exchanged at this event, but Stone Brewing personnel helped to support a worthy cause in an equally important way. The company held two public blood drives, finding enough donors to collect 115 units of blood, thereby saving 364 lives.
Thanksgiving Dinners– Stone Brewing donated a combined total of 50 Thanksgiving meals, divided between two organizations: Casa de Amparo and the Oceanside Yacht Club for distribution to families in need. Again, this was a non- monetary donation but equally important just the same.
Other donations– In addition to the acts of charity described above, Stone Brewing supported over 400 different local, regional, and national charities in 2013 through donations of $350,000 worth of Stone beer, company merchandise, and gift certificates for use at fundraising events.
All in all, 2013 was a great year for the craft brewing industry and an equally great year for the many recipients of Stone Brewing’s generosity. Great Beer Now salutes Stone Brewing and its tireless employees and volunteers who gave so much of their time and money in support of important causes. Here’s to an even more successful effort in 2014!
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