St. Cloud Area Craft Breweries Hosting Clothing Drive

Jennifer Lewerenz | Oct 24, 2019 AT 12:26 pm

Click to Enlarge Photo: Pixabay

(KNSI) - Three local craft breweries are teaming up to help get kids into warm clothes this winter.

Beaver Island Brewing Company and Pantown Brewing Company in St. Cloud and Bad Habit Brewing in St. Joseph are holding the Warm Wishes Clothing Drive November 5th through the 7th at each of their taprooms.



Nick Barth with Beaver Island Brewing Company tells KNSI's Bob Hughes how the event works.



"The way we do it is, you bring in an article of clothing or some clothes during those three days, and please bring in all the warm clothes that you can. Everything helps. Truly. Everything helps. We'll give you a free pint for donating."

Boots, hats, coats, scarves, gloves, and mittens, new or gently used, will be accepted. New underwear and new socks are also being accepted.

Barth lives near a school and says every day he sees kids not dressed for the weather.

When the temp is above freezing, he says the kids go outside for recess and says he knows the teachers are not trying to be mean or trying to shame kids. It's about getting them outside and moving around after being cooped up, which is a good thing, but, "You'd be shocked how many kids have to put their hands in their pocket or can't play, or don't have appropriate attire. The nurse's office does a great job. They usually have whatever coats are left behind or whatever gloves were left behind."



Marty Czech says he spoke with Barth about kids lacking the proper winter clothing, and he says it's not because they lose the items. Czech says it's likely because they didn't have them to begin with.

Marty Czech with Pantown Brewing says it's not that the kids are losing the items. It's that for whatever reason; they likely don't have access to them in the first place.

Aaron Rieland, with Bad Habit Brewing, says he's excited about it being a brewing community project.



"This is such a wonderful idea. It's cool to collab with two other local breweries and take our force of customers and have them come together."

November 5th, from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., the Warm Wishes Clothing Drive is at Pantown Brewing Company in St. Cloud. November 6th, it's at Bad Habit Brewing Company in St. Joseph, and November 7th, it's at Beaver Island Brewing Company in St. Cloud.

If you can't make it to the designated brewery their certain day, if you're making a donation any of those days, you can bring it to the brewery that's most convenient for you.

The items will be distributed through local schools by Dreamfunders/Warm Wishes.



Learn more about the clothing drive by clicking here.

Posted By Jennifer Lewerenz News Director Jennifer is a twin cities native, spending the entire 20 plus years of her radio career in Minnesota. She and her husband enjoy cooking, fishing, laughing, sports and traveling.