For those who run a winery or brewery, the to-do list almost never ends. It can be challenging to find time for mission-driven work and initiatives close to the heart. Hops & Vines for Hunger makes it easy for businesses to join the movement to end hunger in Pennsylvania while connecting with those in their community. The Hops & Vine for Hunger statewide fundraising campaign runs during the month of November (and beyond) with a variety of options for Pennsylvania breweries, wineries, cideries, fermenteries, media partners and sponsors to hop on board.
Since 2021, Hops & Vines for Hunger has raised nearly $65,000 to benefit Pennsylvania’s charitable food network. Those funds help PA food banks provide our neighbors with the food, grocery items and nutrition education resources they need to thrive. This isn’t possible without the Hops & Vines network of amazing businesses who play a part in a way that works for them.
All Hops & Vines season-long, participating businesses collect and earn proceeds to donate to the cause during a time frame of their choosing. There are lots of ways to set this up, including:
- Designate a Drink: Select and sell a special drink, donating $1 or more for every drink sold. This can be a newly crafted Hops & Vines for Hunger drink, one of your flagships or best-sellers, or a seasonally themed beverage.
- Designate a Flight: Select or create a special flight and donate $1 or more for each one sold.
- Donate a Portion of Merch Sales: Get those tees, hoodies, beanies and glassware off the shelves with this special promotion within your chosen fundraising window.
- Run a “Round-Up”: Give patrons the option to round up or donate a set amount when paying their tab.
- Host A Guest Bartender: Spotlight a fun or favorite bartender, or have friendly competition between bartenders, while donating a portion of sales and/or tips.
The fundraiser is not exclusive to breweries, wineries, cideries and fermentories. Businesses can sign on as sponsors or help with media partnerships. There are three levels of sponsorship, allowing your business to support the mission at a level of your choosing while getting your company in front of a wide audience, among other benefits. Media partners include beer and wine digital or print media publications who help get the good word out through publications and social media sharing.
This year, nonprofit credit union PSECU will serve as matching sponsor of Hops & Vines for Hunger, pushing your donated dollars double the distance for twice the impact. Karen Rousche, Community Engagement Program Manager at PSECU, shared that, “PSECU is Pennsylvania’s largest credit union and at our core is the philosophy of ‘people helping people.’ This means we dedicate both time and resources to supporting our communities. We believe that access to food shouldn’t be a privilege. By partnering with Feeding Pennsylvania, PA Eats and all the supporters of Hops & Vines for Hunger, this campaign will help to support the charitable food network and provide critical nutrition resources to help support our neighbors across the Commonwealth who are experiencing food insecurity. That’s why we are proud to support this initiative and are committed to matching, dollar for dollar, the funds raised in this campaign.”
There are numerous values to participating. Businesses who join our mission can grow their reach to a broader audience. The Hops & Vines for Hunger, Feeding Pennsylvania and PA Eats have a combined social media audience of over 45,600 followers across Facebook, Instagram, X and LinkedIn. Tag us, and we’ll share your businesses’ fundraising posts and stories!
Businesses can also find opportunities to network within the industry through this campaign. Connect and work directly with other small businesses with craft brewing and winemaking to build and foster the foundations for long-term partnerships and opportunities.
Best of all, this fundraiser allows you to support your local community. One in eight of our neighbors face food insecurity, and it can happen to anyone. We’ve all experienced the winds of change, and can help each other gain solid footing in an ever-changing world. This campaign allows businesses to work towards offsetting the impact of high costs of living, unemployment, chronic health conditions, low-wage jobs and lack of access that contribute to food insecurity. It also creates space for conversations and lights a spark among your patrons, who can follow your lead and join this movement.
Hops & Vines for Hunger has made it easy for you to launch your fundraiser with a participation guide full of planning and promotional how-tos, graphics, assets and helpful links. PA Eats will also include all participating breweries and wineries in regionally specific features on our website and social media, allowing you to reach and engage with Pennsylvania foodies, locavores and like-minded champions of food security for everyone.
For more information, visit the Hops & Vines for Hunger website and follow the hashtag #HopsVinesHungerPA. You can also find and follow Hops & Vines for Hunger on Facebook and Instagram to stay in the loop. Please share this with your favorite brewery, winery, cidery or fermentery that would be a great fit by sending them this article or tagging them on social media. Anyone can make a direct donation to Hops & Vines for Hunger. Thanks to PSECU, every donated dollar will be doubled. And, if you’re a business that’s ready to sign up and raise the bar, join us today!
- Graphic: Hops & Vines for Hunger
- Photos: Bigstock
