SweetWater Brewing, United Distributors donate big to The Giving Kitchen

Raising $50,000 (and then lifting that giant novelty check above your head) definitely takes a village.

Beer just keeps on giving. And you, the beer drinker who enjoys SweetWater Brewing Co.’s great craft collection (specifically its Second Helping, a Juniper IPA), are also a part of this philanthropy. Actually, we couldn’t have done it without you.

SweetWater Brewing and United Distributors proudly presented a check in the amount of $55,547 to The Giving Kitchen at the brewery’s 18th Anniversary party on Feb. 22. The brewery’s partnership with The Giving Kitchen dates back to 2013 when the two organizations came together to brew Second Helping, developed to offer peace of mind to Atlanta’s restaurant community. In the last year, The Giving Kitchen has awarded over $300,000 in grants to restaurant industry workers in the greater Atlanta area.

SweetWater and United Distributors directly donated back all profits from the sale of Second Helping to The Giving Kitchen, a local non-profit dedicated to assisting restaurant industry workers who have experienced some sort of unanticipated emergency or hardship. Since the initial release of Second Helping IPA in January 2014, SweetWater and United Distribution’s donations from the beer total close to $100,000. The brew was available on limited-release in bottles and on draft at participating package stores, bars and restaurants around Metro Atlanta this winter as well as the previous winter.

This beneficial brew was originally designed by The Giving Kitchen’s culinary mind, Chef Ryan Hidinger, and SweetWater’s brewers. After an unforeseen diagnosis of late-stage cancer, celebrated Atlanta chef Ryan Hidinger’s story inspired the concept for The Giving Kitchen, along with a purpose-driven restaurant called Staplehouse. Originally functioning as a supper club years ago, Staplehouse has since been repurposed into a restaurant to create sustainable funding for The Giving Kitchen and will open this fall in Atlanta’s Old Fourth Ward neighborhood.