ANNUAL TOUR FOR FOOD BANKS
For the past month, I travelled to 9 Southern Cities for an event called Bow Tied Brews. Basically, it was reminiscent of the HabiRocks event I did back in 2013, but this was a little different. Back then, I was doing small bar events for local affiliates of Habitat for Humanity. This time, I partnered with local breweries to raise money and awareness for local Food Banks, most of whom are affiliated with Feeding America. Each Brewery donated proceeds to their local Food Bank. In 2018, I created the blueprint for it by partnering with Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery, who brewed a small batch called the Seersucker Shandy, and proceeds benefited Richmond's local Food Bank, Feed More.
After working with Feed More, I realized that I wanted to do more for Food Banks, because people gotta eat. So I quickly decided to take the idea to a larger scale. First, I reached out to the Food Banks in the cities I wanted to visit. They were all on board. Then, I reached out to Breweries in those cities and asked if they wanted to help support their local Food Banks. It wasn't easy, but I finally had everything lined up. We started promoting the event on social media in April and then Franklin and I hit the road in July.
The first stop was Charlottesville, Virginia. We were excited to kick things off at Champion Brewing Company who helped us raise a good amount of money for the Blue Ridge Area Food Bank. It was a Wednesday, so it was their weekly night for their running club. It was a great turnout and I met a lot of awesome people who were excited to enjoy a couple beers while helping their local Food Bank.
The next stop was Charlotte, North Carolina. On the way, we stopped at a Love's Travel Stop to refuel, which became a recurring theme of the trip. Franklin and I checked in to the Aloft Hotel at the EpiCentre and then took a stroll through downtown. After adventures with Franklin, I headed to Catawba Brewing Company for an event with Second Harvest of the Metrolina. It was an amazing space and we had a good turnout here as well. Afterwards, I ventured to a nearby rooftop bar, then explored the downtown scene. Right next to my hotel at the EpiCentre, there was an awesome crowd jamming to live music. You can always count on a good time in Charlotte.
Our next stop was Columbia, South Carolina. We of course grabbed some gas at a Love's Travel Stop before we found our next venue, Conquest Brewing Company. It was a small brewery, but we had a great time. I caught up with some old friends that I met in Chattanooga earlier in the year, and also made some new friends with Harvest Hope Food Bank. Before the event, Franklin took a swim in the Congaree River and we explored the South Carolina State Capital, checking off yet another state capitol on our list. Columbia had a lot to offer us after the event, we checked out Columbia Craft Brewing Company, and then grabbed some food and drink at a nearby restaurant. Good Times.
And then I made the voyage to Atlanta, Georgia. Here I spent two days visiting with friends and doing an event for Atlanta Community Food Bank at Atlanta Brewing Company, formerly Red Brick. For those of you that know me, I always have a good time in Atlanta. More than that, I was really excited to get to know the folks at ACFB and Atlanta's oldest brewery. Afterwards, I did all the things on the Beltline and all the things in Midtown.
After Atlanta, I had a long journey to Jacksonville, Florida. Franklin and I found a sizeable dog park downtown and he ran around quite a bit. The brewery we worked with this time was Intuition Ale Works which is right near all the JAX sports and entertainment facilities downtown, including the home of the Jacksonville Jaguars. They had a rooftop bar, where we setup to raise money for Feeding Northeast Florida. After the event, I decided to drive straight to Savannah, because it's one of my favorite places.
And with this, I was able to spend two nights in Savannah, which turned out to be a great idea. I had two nights on the riverfront, and two night strolling them streets (with a beverage), and Franklin and I even had a quick morning visit to Tybee Island. Savannah's event was at Southbound Brewing Company for the Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia. Franklin actually got to hang out in the brewery and kinda became the mascot of the event. I'd hate to play favorites, but this was probably my favorite event of the trip. That and Savannah is too much fun.
Up next was Charleston, another favorite with all the southern charm. We were excited to work with Lowcountry Food Bank, who brought their whole crew to Palmetto Brewing Company on Huger Street. One of my local couples blessed me with their presence, which was surely exciting. Afterwards, we did the King Street thing and had a blast. Thank you Chuck town, you never disappoint!
The next day, we hit the road for Raleigh. Franklin and I found ourselves staying with a couple friends just outside of town, where he decided to roll around in a septic tank. That was a lot of fun. After cleaning him off, several times, we headed to Crank Arm Brewing for an event with the Food Bank of Central and Eastern Carolina. We just missed the rain and I had a fun time with my Raleigh friends.
The culmination of the tour ended back home in Richmond at the same place as the year before, Lickinghole Creek Craft Brewery, which had an amazing turnout, and that Seersucker Shandy never tasted better. Seriously, thank you to everyone who came out for the Bow Tied Brews finale, really enjoyed seeing everyone after the long voyage.
And next year, we are gonna do it bigger. You just wait!
For more about #BowTiedBrews, check out bowtiedbrews.com.