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shared that“ Guinness has donated more than 16,000 loaves of bread and an additional donation was received for their curbside beer sales in the amount of $ 35,000. Most recently, they generously pledged to donate $ 250,000 to support both Phase 2 of our COVID-19 Food Access Response Plan and our culinary workforce development program, FoodWorks— both of which address communities disproportionately affected by hunger.” These efforts can help the food bank— just one of the Guinness program’ s beneficiaries— to“ strategically expand our food access efforts to these most-struggling populations,” Del Guercio added.
Clearly these funds are making an impact. Today, visitors can support Guinness in its work to give back by raising a toast with its new“ See Us” beer. This brew is first to debut in the brewery’ s Allyship Through Collaboration Series, which also is part of the community fund and is led by Brewmaster Peter Wiens and Head Brewer Hollie Stephenson. All proceeds of this specialty beer will benefit the Job Opportunities Task Force.
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A HOTEL OFFERING HELP Guinness has set an admirable example but, true to the spirit of Baltimore, it’ s not the only company giving back. Even as some face their own losses, the city’ s hotels, restaurants, attractions and other entities continue to support the community.
For instance, Hotel Revival— a boutique hotel in Mount Vernon featuring 107 guest rooms, event space and restaurants— donated its first-floor restaurant space to local small food businesses that were forced to close down brick-and-mortar locations. The hotel was formerly a private mansion owned by an art enthusiast, so it makes sense that it would support the artisans and business owners who contribute to the community now.
If you stopped into the hotel earlier in the year, breezing past artwork showcased throughout the space( including a dramatic floor-to-ceiling
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mural in the lobby), you may have ordered from The Urban Oyster, the first female- and Black-owned oyster bar in Maryland, which unfortunately closed its location in Locust Point in summer 2020.
Hotel Revival also offered free rooms to military personnel, police officers and firefighters from the beginning of the pandemic through summer 2020 in addition to launching a social impact plan to elevate and support businesses owned by people of color. One such partnership spearheaded by the hotel’ s first-ever director of culture and impact, Jason Bass, is the hotel’ s decision to purchase a year’ s supply of toilet paper from Lor Tush, a Black- and women-owned toilet paper company in Baltimore.
Plus, Lor Tush, whose owners grew up in West Baltimore, has done some good of its own. Remember when finding toilet paper in the store was almost as exciting as finding ng actual gold? During the pandemic, the company— which sells a sustainable product made of bamboo— donated thousands of rolls of toilet paper to the people of Baltimore City.
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Lor Tush is a Black- and women-owned toilet paper company in Baltimore producing a sustainable product made of bamboo. |
JASON VARNEY |