Elijah Craig Bourbon today announced a $100,000 donation to the Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation stemming from the success of the inaugural Old Fashioned Week. More than 22,000 registrants, and thousands of fans on social media, joined Elijah Craig from Oct. 16 – 25 on social and digital platforms to celebrate a great cocktail for an even greater cause.
“We are humbled by the perseverance of our hospitality partners and the advocacy of the Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation during this difficult time,” said Max Stefka, Senior Brand Manager, Elijah Craig Bourbon. “At the onset of the inaugural Elijah Craig Old Fashioned Week, we committed raising up to $100,000 through support from fans on social media, donations, and engagement with our ambassadors. Together we reached that goal.”
As the hospitality community continues to feel the effects of COVID-19, Elijah Craig recognizes the need to rally around those who support both the brand and the industry with their creativity, passion, and hard work. The Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation (RWCF) is an advocacy and action nonprofit created by and for restaurant workers. Donations will go toward direct financial assistance, grants to non-profit partners, and to a zero-interest loan program for small businesses.
“We are grateful for Elijah Craig’s support, especially at a time when it’s become increasingly clear that restaurant workers continue to suffer and the industry as a whole will not be coming back to health anytime soon,” said John deBary, Co-Founder and Board President of Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation. “RWCF will continue to fundraise so that we can direct much needed financial assistance to restaurant workers, bolster nonprofit organizations that serve restaurant workers in crisis, and provide zero-interest loans for restaurants while helping them consider ways they can recreate workplaces that better support their workers.”
During Old Fashioned Week, Elijah Craig hosted a lineup of live activations designed to be both educational and entertaining in support of RWCF. Highlights of the week included an “Old Fashioned Cocktail Hour” with Celebrity Chef Richard Blais and friends, “Old Fashioned Bar Trivia” with Heaven Hill Distillery Ambassadors Bernie Lubbers and Jack Choate, “The Art of Crafting Ice” with Portland-based bartender and author Jeffrey Morgenthaler, and “Elevating Your Home Bar” with Devin Kennedy, bartender at Pouring Ribbons. To relive the action, visit OldFashionedWeek.com.
ABOUT ELIJAH CRAIG BOURBON: Elijah Craig Bourbon bears the name of the Reverend Elijah Craig, known as “The Father of Bourbon,” who established his distillery in 1789 on the banks of Elkhorn Creek in modern day Georgetown, Kentucky. He is credited with being the first distiller to age his wares in charred oak barrels. The clear, unaged corn liquor became transformed into a bold amber liquid with a distinctively smooth flavor that makes Bourbon what it is today. Produced by Heaven Hill Distillery, the family of whiskeys includes Elijah Craig Small Batch, Elijah Craig Straight Rye Whiskey, Elijah Craig Toasted Barrel, Elijah Craig Barrel Proof Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, and Elijah Craig Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey.
First brought to market in 1986, Heaven Hill Distillery’s Master Distillers were selecting a small number of barrels of the finest Bourbon to make Elijah Craig Small Batch long before the term “small batch” even existed. It is this attention to detail and superb craftsmanship that give Elijah Craig an ideal balance of age, robust body, and rich flavor. Elijah Craig accolades have included Whisky Advocate’s Whisky of the Year, Best Small Batch Bourbon and Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and Excellent Highly Recommended honors at the Ultimate Spirits Challenge. For more information, please visit www.elijahcraig.com.
ABOUT RESTAURANT WORKERS’ COMMUNITY FOUNDATION: “Restaurant Workers’ Community Foundation is an advocacy and action nonprofit created by and for restaurant workers. RWCF was founded in 2018 to advocate for – and raise funds for other nonprofits working toward – gender equity, racial justice, fair wages, and healthy work environments in the restaurant industry. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, RWCF’s additional focus is on supporting workers in crisis and small business owners with the Restaurant Workers COVID19 Crisis Relief Fund.
RWCF is America’s first nonprofit using the community foundation model to support people in a particular labor segment. We are a community dedicated to making the restaurant industry more hospitable to everyone. In our normal model (prior to the establishment of the crisis relief fund) one third of the funds we raise goes to our own community-building and advocacy efforts, one third to grantmaking to other nonprofits (ones that provide career training, advocate for fair wage policies and worker rights, or provide services for restaurant workers related to gender and racial equity, and mental health and substance abuse) and one third is allocated to an impact investing fund, with which we aim to positively affect worker rights in the industry.
www.RestaurantWorkersCF.org
@RWCFUSA on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Lauren Cherry
Heaven Hill Distillery
lcherry@heavenhill.com
