#TexasStrong
Most “out-of-towner’s” know Texas for the obvious; its size, the Alamo, the Longhorn, great BBQ, football, wide open spaces, southern hospitality, and the blistering heat to name a few. I think most Texans like myself, whether born, raised, or simply residing here can, without a doubt, say we also have a tremendous amount of pride in our great state.
The devastating and disastrous storm we experienced recently, and how our communities reacted to it, is beyond words. There are so many people and organizations that have participated in supporting the relief efforts, providing valuable resources during this time of need. More specific to our industry, The Texas Craft Brewer’s Guild and its members, have done an amazing job in coming together as a group to support each other and those affected by this storm. I can’t begin to list the extent of their participation in the efforts, but Caroline Wallace, Deputy Director of the guild, put out a note to the group recently that is a good summation.
Hello Everyone,
We wanted to start this month's newsletter by acknowledging that we know this has been a very rough couple of weeks for so many Texans, including members of our Guild. Our thoughts have been with our brewery members and their communities in the Houston area and throughout the Gulf Coast region as they deal with the impact of Hurricane Harvey on their homes, businesses, and surrounding neighborhoods. While we were relieved to see that the vast majority of our members in the affected areas sustained very little to no damage to their breweries, we know that the impact of this storm has obviously been far-reaching and the recovery efforts have just begun.
We'd be remiss to discuss the impact of the storm without taking time to commend the resilience, and in many cases, downright heroism of brewers in the affected areas. We've had members performing citizen rescues, opening up their taprooms as shelters to residential neighbors, and many taking to the streets to engage in clean up efforts. Furthermore, we've also seen a lot of compassion from the craft beer community all around Texas who have pitched in to help in any way they can with dozens of fundraising efforts and donation drives all the way from Corpus Christi to El Paso. We have long taken pride in the incredible sense of community Texas craft brewers have fostered with one-another and with their surrounding neighborhoods, but in the wake of Hurricane Harvey it has been inspiring to see just how much this communal spirit has inspired quick and concrete action to help those in need.
We have been encouraged and inspired by all of the connections and action taking place in the TCBG's Harvey related Yahoo threads. Thank you to all of the breweries and allied trade members who checked in to report on the statuses of your businesses, your employees, and your neighbors, and to check-in on your fellow brewers. Major props to those who forged connections for donating much needed supplies to various causes, lent equipment to get folks back on their feet, and shared details about relief efforts. If the spirit of those e-mails (and their resulting actions) is any indication, we have plenty of folks at the ready and willing to help! If any members affected by the storm have a need, or see a need in their community going forward that you'd like to bring to our attention, please do not hesitate to reach out.
- Caroline Wallace
Deputy Director
Texas Craft Brewers Guild
I find it difficult to recall a time when I have been more proud to be a Texan; more proud to be a part of an industry where people continuously reach out a helping hand during tough times, and more proud to be a member of a such a caring, close knit group of folks at Texas Craft Brewers Guild. Thank you TCBG!
- Toby Tucker