Now in its eighth year, Ore Dock’s annual community fundraiser, Hops for Help, continues to grow.
Each year the brewery, with support from local bars and restaurants, offers patrons the opportunity to spread goodwill within their community by exercising their purchasing power: with every keg of Glad Tidings, Ore Dock’s Christmas ale offering, that is tapped, a donation will be made to help feed hungry families and children throughout the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.
What started as a small tap room only event has taken on new meaning with an ever-growing list of local businesses eager to get on board. “It’s amazing to see how much the program has grown over the past eight years and the impact potential it has in our region,” says Ore Dock owner Andrea Pernsteiner. “Continuing to expand and strengthen our partnerships with like-minded businesses throughout Michigan is a great step toward building a better connected and supported community.” According to Pernsteiner, it’s all about the residents of the great beer state and their willingness to help out a neighbor in need.
And the need is great. Ore Dock is once again partnering with Feeding America West Michigan, as well as the Food Bank of Eastern Michigan, the recipients of the goodwill generated by the Hops for Help campaign. Together, these organizations distribute millions of pounds of food annually through distribution networks that enable a state-wide reach of more than 800,000 Michigan residents. In 2018, Feeding America West Michigan distributed more than 4,000,000 meals in the Upper Peninsula alone.
“We know there’s a real need throughout each county we’re fortunate enough to do business in,” says Pernsteiner. “There’s no way we could generate the necessary support for our neighbors living with food insecurity without the help of other U.P. and northern Michigan businesses.”
Alongside Ore Dock for this year’s Hops for Help are The Wicked Sister, Birdseye Outfitters and Moloney’s Alley of Sault Ste Marie; Tap 21 and Big Springs Tavern of Manistique; Mo’s Pub in Escanaba; Up North Lodge of Gwinn; Chamberlain’s Old Forest Inn of Curtis; and throughout Marquette at Aubree’s Pizzeria and Grill, Breakers Roadhouse, Delft Bistro, DIGS Gastropub, Hudson’s Classic Grill, Landmark Inn, Iron Bay Restaurant & Drinkery, Steinhaus, Stucko’s Pub and Grill, and Vango’s Pizza and Cocktail Lounge.
The eighth annual Hops for Help campaign kicks off Sunday, December 1 and runs the entire month of December.
