SAN DIEGO, CA (February 7, 2018)—Now in its fourth year, Lupus Foundation of Southern California (LFSC) fundraising initiative Beer to the Rescue has secured the assistance of a record-breaking 42 San Diego brewing companies for its 2018 campaign.
Established in 2015 by local brewing-industry professional, beer journalist and lupus survivor Brandon Hernández, Beer to the Rescue has raised more than $100,000 for the LFSC. Those funds have been used to provide free services to people living with lupus in San Diego and Imperial Counties, including educational and support-group events as well as funding for medical research focusing on this chronic and potentially fatal autoimmune disease.
Appreciative of the outpouring of generosity from local breweries and their patrons, Hernández has altered this year’s campaign in an effort to pay that open-heartedness forward and assist others in need.
“We’ve been so fortunate to find ourselves on the receiving end of such kindness. This time around, we want to pay that generosity forward by helping other non-profits and humanitarian causes using the platform we’ve established,” says Hernández. “This year, participating brewery owners were encouraged to select charities close to their hearts with the goal of holding joint fundraising events and promotions, with donations from those efforts being split 50/50 between the LFSC and the organizations selected by the breweries.”
As a result, seven non-profits will also benefit from San Diegans’ support of Beer to the Rescue. They (and the breweries that selected them) are as follows:
• Beer for Boobs Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Team (White Labs)
• Challenged Athletes Foundation (Rouleur Brewing)
• Friends of Jefferson Elementary (North Park Beer Co.)
• One More Wave (Mason Ale Works)
• Random Acts (Savagewood Brewing)
• St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital (Indian Joe Brewing)
• TBD Foster Children’s Charity (Bolt Brewery)
From San Diego’s largest brewing companies (Ballast Point Brewing, Stone Brewing, Karl Strauss Brewing) to some of its smallest operations, breweries of all sizes are getting involved via a variety of efforts:
• Charity Beers: Special fundraising beers are being brewed for the campaign by 32 North Brewing, Amplified Ale Works, Benchmark Brewing, Division 23 Brewing, Duck Foot Brewing, Gordon Biersch, Indian Joe Brewing, Intergalactic Brewing, Karl Strauss Brewing, Kilowatt Brewing, Mason Ale Works, Nickel Beer Co., Pacific Islander Beer Co., Prodigy Brewing, Resident Brewing, Rouleur Brewing, Savagewood Brewing, Second Chance Beer Co., South Park Brewing, Stone Brewing, Thr3e Punk Ales Brewing, Wavelength Brewing and White Labs.
• Fundraisers: Special events will be held throughout 2018 to raise funds and educate the public about lupus and the LFSC. The first event will take place Saturday, February 10 at 5 p.m. in South Park at Hamilton’s Tavern’s Second Saturday celebration featuring Onyx Ledbetter, a black IPA brewed by South Park Brewing and Karl Strauss Brewing for Beer to the Rescue.
• Donations: Pure Project Brewing (March), Societe Brewing (May) and Belching Beaver Brewery (November) will donate a percentage of total sales over the course of designated months.
In San Diego, Imperial and Riverside Counties alone, there are more than 20,000 people suffering from lupus. Studies show one in 185 people have lupus, nine out of ten of which are women between the ages of 17 and 40. However, these numbers are skewed because most people with lupus are never diagnosed with this autoimmune disease, which negatively impacts victims via myriad painful symptoms, causes irreparable damage to vital organs and can be fatal. Beer to the Rescue aims to clear a path to diagnosis and subsequent treatment, while improving quality of life for those living with lupus.
Events will take place from February through December, with a large concentration taking place in May, which is Lupus Awareness Month. A full event schedule is being developed and will soon be posted at www.beertotherescue.org as well as shared via Beer to the Rescue’s social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@beertotherescue). Upcoming scheduled fundraisers are as follows:
• Saturday, February 10 | Second Saturday—South Park Brewing, South Park
• Saturday, February 24 | Beer-Release Event—Benchmark Brewing, Grantville
• Wednesday, March 28 | Fundraiser—Pariah Brewing, North Park
• Thursday, March 29 | Cask Night Event—North Park Beer Co., North Park
• Monday, April 16 | Fundraiser—New English Brewing, Sorrento Valley
• Every Tuesday in May | Charity Nights—Societe Brewing, Kearny Mesa
• Thursday, May 3 | Beer-Release Event—Division 23 Brewing, Miramar
• Thursday, May 17 | Fundraiser—Thorn St. Brewery, North Park
• Sunday, June 3 | Beer-Release Events—Second Chance Beer Co., Carmel Mountain & North Park
• Friday, July 6 | Beer-Release Event—Booze Brothers Brewing, Vista
• Thursday, August 16 | Fundraiser—Burgeon Beer Co., Carlsbad
• Tuesday, October 16 | Beer For Boobs Joint Fundraiser—White Labs, Miramar
• Wednesday, October 31 | Halloween Fundraiser—2kids Brewing, Miramar
• Saturday, November 17 | St. Jude’s Hospital Joint Fundraiser—Indian Joe Brewing, Vista
• Thursday, November 27 | Fundraisers—Belching Beaver Brewery, Vista & North Park
• Saturday, December 8 | Foster Children’s Charity Joint Fundraiser—Bolt Brewery, La Mesa
About the Lupus Foundation of Southern California: The Lupus Foundation of Southern California is a 501(c)(3) non-profit health agency. Originated as a small support group for local lupus patients, it gradually grew to become the San Diego Chapter of The American Lupus Society (TALS) in 1976. In August of 1996, TALS merged with the Lupus Foundation of America (LFA). Since then, the agency has operated under the name Lupus Foundation of Southern California (LFSC). The LFSC is a patient-oriented, non-profit, volunteer health agency that provides information, education and referrals for those affected by lupus. Various support groups are held throughout San Diego and Imperial Counties, and quarterly seminars are held covering topics that are pertinent to people with lupus. They are always free and open to the public. The LFSC also lobbies for and funds additional lupus-related research in an effort to provide increased awareness, education and treatment options for people with lupus.