Brewing help: Beverage distributor, brewer team up to benefit New Mexico food banks
May 21—Bell's Brewery is once again helping some of the Land of Enchantment's food banks.
The independent Michigan brewery has teamed up with local distributor Premier Distributing as well as three local food banks for the second year as part of its Feeding Our Backyard program. The charity initiative will run from May 27 through July 5 and $2 of every case of Bell's beer sold in New Mexico will be donated to The Storehouse in Albuquerque, Casa de Peregrinos in Las Cruces and The Food Depot in Santa Fe.
"They're going to give enough to provide five meals with every 12-pack and enough to do 10 meals with a case of beer purchased," said Jill Beets, director of marketing and communications at Storehouse New Mexico. "So obviously, you know, good beer is always welcome in summer months here in New Mexico. ... We thought this was an easy way to support us, and we're certainly appreciative of Bell's Brewery and their work on our behalf."
Bell's and Premiere, a beverage distributor, will also match community donations of up to $7,600, according to a Bell's news release. The public can directly support the initiative by visiting storehousenm.org.
"We're still reeling from the pandemic," said Silas Sims, Bell's Brewery area sales manager for New Mexico. "You know, not everybody is back up and on their feet, and people are still in need of help. And just in general, even without the pandemic, New Mexico ranks as one of the worst in the country in food insecurity. And so this is something that just made sense to us, and we do like to support the community that serves our beer."
Albertsons and Total Wine stores, as well as Jubilation Wine & Spirits and some Kelly Liquors locations, will display posters with QR codes that customers can scan to learn more about how they support the cause benefiting the selected New Mexico food banks. Other participants of the initiative include Horse & Angel Tavern, Billy's Long Bar and O'Niell's Heights. A portion of the on premise sales will benefit the cause. Pic Quick is one of the participating locations in Las Cruces. Santa Fe has a number of locations taking part in the program, including La Liquor, Kicks 66, Pojoaque Convenience, Food King, Liquor Barn, El Rey Liquors and Riverside Liquors.
The Storehouse has seen many new people using its resources due to the pandemic.
"Hunger has definitely increased in New Mexico," Beets said. "We've always been sort of at the bottom of those lists for adult and childhood hunger, but I think last year, it was one in four children were going hungry and now one in three children are going hungry in our state, which is pretty sad. I mean, that's a really large number of children going hungry. And then we still rank among the worst for adult hunger also."
The Storehouse wants people to know its resources are readily available to them. More information on how to obtain help from the food pantry is on the food bank's website. The Storehouse is open from 9 a.m. to noon Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.
"I think sometimes people think there's like a big enrollment process, but honestly, it's like, show up with an ID and they give you a cart full of food and they give you everything from meats and dairy products to fresh fruits and vegetables. You know, people think it's just canned goods. And obviously we could give people those shelf stable items, but we give a full range of food."
In addition to its charity work, Bell's has been recognized with several accolades for its beers. Recently the American Homebrewers Association's publication, Zymurgy, voted Bell's the Best Brewery in America for the fourth year in a row. Bell's is a 100% family-owned and independent brewery that strives to provide its customers with an authentic and pleasant experience through its our unique ales and lagers, according to the news release. More information on the brewery can be found by visiting bellsbeer.com.
