2020 in Review: Creature’s Community Impact
MARCH 2020
IDENTIFYING THE ‘ONE’
On March 13th, we released our 2020 Brew For One brand, the Ria Pell Ale—a pale ale brewed to honor the late chef and Atlanta native, Ria Pell. The remarkable life of Ria came to our attention last fall, and we soon discovered that she championed the work of the Atlanta Harm Reduction Coalition throughout her life and work in the Atlanta restaurant scene. Through AHRC, we met this year’s Brew For One recipient, Yamasheta. Click here to watch the story.
APRIL 2020
ALL TOGETHER FOR THE SERVICE INDUSTRY
In April, when Brooklyn’s Other Half Brewing put out a worldwide collaboration invitation to raise support for hospitality professionals, we knew we had to answer the call. We’re joined forces with 855 breweries in all 50 states and in 53 countries by brewing the All Together IPA in support of the service industry we love so much in the midst of a global pandemic. We’re excited to announce that we raised over $7,116.24 for the Restaurant Employee Relief Fund to aid employees experiencing extraordinary hardship. Click here to read more.
CLEAN CREATURE HAND SANITIZER
In the early months of the pandemic, hand sanitizer was increasingly difficult to locate. Working closely with our existing suppliers and repurposing existing equipment and packaging materials, we released Clean Creature, an isopropyl alcohol antiseptic. While supplies were needed, we donated 1,284 bottles of Clean Creature to our Get Comfortable partners, as well as to hospitals, churches, and nonprofits around Athens and Atlanta. 36 recipients altogether!
MAY 2020
“DO FOR ONE WHAT YOU WISH YOU COULD DO FOR EVERYONE.”
Remember the Ria Pell Ale? In May, through your generosity to the Brew For One program this year, we were able to surprise The One, Yamasheta, with a car, a washer and dryer, and several gift cards to purchase essential items for her and her daughter. Take a minute to learn more about this year’s Brew For One story and recipient.
GET COMFORTABLE MID-YEAR DISTRIBUTION
In the interest of adjusting Get Comfortable to the times, we modified the typical rhythm of the program’s disbursement schedule in order to make funds available to our beneficiaries as soon as possible. This pivot involved a big April fundraising push to our customers and business partners. Consequently, together we raised $135,000 by May. Click here to read more.
A MAJOR MILESTONE IN COMMUNITY IMPACT
In May 2020, we crested $2 million in Creature Comforts lifetime community impact—$2,048,777.18 to be exact. Click here to read more.
JULY 2020
CREATURE ANNOUNCES ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE
Big problems need creative solutions, and sustainability is a big, complex problem. In addition to taking great strides towards greener brewing and business practices, in July we welcomed Abigail West, creative waste specialist, as our first Get Artistic Artist-in-Residence to help consumers and Creatures rethink what sustainability looks like. Abigail spent 8 weeks working with hard-to-recycle industrial brewing materials, such as plastic grain bags and metal-lined hop bags. The resulting artwork was displayed under our Snow Tire pavilion through October.
AUGUST 2020
GET ARTISTIC LAUNCH
Did you know that a thriving creative economy lends itself to good citizenship? By investing in the arts, we strive to help more Athenians love Athens as a means to increase civic engagement. This year, with guidance from the Get Artistic Advisory Council, we identified 6 local artists and arts agencies serving the Athens community as our 2020 grant recipients. We released the Get Artistic beer and artist-designed merchandise to raise funds for these recipients and, throughout the program’s season of emphasis, hosted 7 fun and socially distanced events to connect consumers with the partners’ important work in the creative community.
OCTOBER 2020
GET ARTISTIC BERLINER BRINGS HOME THE BRONZE
The 2020 iteration of the Get Artistic beer was a delicious, fruited Berliner Weisse made with Sauvignon Blanc grape juice and lemon verbena. It was so delicious, in fact, that it won the bronze medal in the Great American Beer Festival’s “Experimental Beer” category—out of 115 entries! We’re so grateful for the hard work of the Creatures who brought the beer to life and humbled by the recognition the beer received this year.
GET ARTISTIC RAISES $75,781 FOR LOCAL ARTISTS AND NONPROFITS
With the participation of both generous citizens and local businesses, together we generated $75,781.01 for our city this year through Get Artistic—$22,010 of which to be given as grants to our 6 Get Artistic recipients, $3,000 to our DIY Fund winners, and $1,000 to our Artist-in-Residence. We also introduced an exciting new program called the Local Arts Booster to help Creature Comforts employees directly invest in their local creative economies. Read more here.
DIY FAIR FUNDS CLASSIC CITY WAX VOL. 2 + THE MENTAL HEARTH
In addition to our 6 Get Artistic grant recipients, we’ll also invest in two community arts projects through the DIY Fund. While the Get Artistic grant program helps artists deepen their individual practice, the DIY Fund empowers pioneering projects that are more collaborative in nature. This year’s winner and runner-up— Classic City Wax Vol. 2 and The Mental Hearth, respectively—both serve Athens by creating platforms for underrepresented artists, underfunded media, or taboo topics.
NOVEMBER 2020
GIVING BACK AND GIVING THANKS WITH TABLE BEER
In another effort to support the service industry, we recognized a natural tie between our seasonal Table Beer and our longtime partnership with Giving Kitchen. Starting in November 2020, and every year moving forward, all profits from Table Beer will benefit Giving Kitchen, a Georgia-based nonprofit that provides emergency assistance to food service workers through financial support and a network of community resources. Read more about our partnership with Giving Kitchen.
DECEMBER 2020
BEER AS A FORCE FOR GOOD
The idea of beer as a force for good is truly a shared sentiment amongst us at Creature Comforts and our friends at Allagash. Back in January, we collaborated on this year’s Get Comfortable IPA, but we also brewed something behind the scenes—a mixed fermentation beer complete with lemon, citrus, and subtle melon notes. In an effort to continue fundraising for our 2020 Get Comfortable recipients, we thought it only fitting that proceeds from this special beer go to further resource these agencies.
GET COMFORTABLE RAISES $532,068 FOR 2020 AGENCIES
We wrapped a truly wild season of our Get Comfortable campaign on December 9 (click here to watch!). This year-round campaign generated $532,068.11 in total value to spotlight and support our 12 agency recipients.
GET COMFORTABLE ANNOUNCES 2021 AGENCY PARTNERS
After hours of thoughtful discussion, we’re thrilled to announce our 2021 Get Comfortable partners who are doing the most to meet the pressing needs in our community! In Athens, we’ll be supporting Acceptance Recovery Center, Advantage Behavioral Health, Athens Area Homeless Shelter, Bethel Haven, Bigger Vision, Family Promise, Mercy Health Center, and Sparrow’s Nest. Our Atlanta partners include College AIM, Friends of Refugees, Innovative Solutions for Disadvantage & Disability, and Our House.
As 2020 comes to a close, there are still ways you can give back to the community you love. We have two beers available that benefit community-oriented causes: Table Beer and A Force For Good.
Table Beer is a 4.2% ABV Belgian-style session ale featuring Sterling, Saphir, Lemondrop, and dry-hopped with Cascade and Comet. All profits from Table Beer will go directly to support Giving Kitchen which provides emergency assistance to food service workers through financial support and resources.
A Force For Good is a 5.7% ABV mixed-culture blonde ale we brewed in collaboration with our friends from Allagash. 100% of the profits from the beer will go toward Get Comfortable.
Thanks for doing good and giving back this year! Our community work would not be what it is today without generous customers, friends, and neighbors like YOU!