Like so many who devote their time and energy to helping others, Brian Beagle knows what it’s like to walk a mile in the shoes of those he works so tirelessly to assist. In his youth, he faced food insecurity, and every year since 2014, he has spent the holidays working with the local brewing community to help solve that problem for families in need. His mechanism is the #SDBeer Holiday Food Drive and it’s once again underway, though—like most things—it looks a little different this year.
In years past, this wildly successful effort has seen Beagle distributing large plastic tubs to brewery-owned venues for collection of non-perishable food items he and a team of volunteers later pick up and drop-off at a central collection point, Kearny Mesa’s Societe Brewing, to be palletized and handed over to the San Diego Food Bank. It all started when Beagle teamed with Societe to get his network of friends and followers amassed via his beer-media and podcasting efforts to donate to that effort. Doing so significantly increased the brewery’s holiday food-drive totals and, to-date, the collaborative effort has resulted in donations of 63,245 pounds of food and $28,849 for the Food Bank. The 2016 effort alone brought in a staggering 23,153 pounds of food.
“In years past, we would encourage people to bring food donations to Societe, one of the more than 35 partner breweries throughout the county, or our annual party where we celebrate the holidays and assist the less-fortunate residents of our city in the process. That event was full of giveaways, ugly holiday attire contests and frivolity,” says Beagle. “This year, the physical food drive is not possible due to COVID-19, so we are doing a virtual food drive. While this year’s effort will differ from years past, the need to help San Diegans has never been greater. Fortunately, the San Diego Food Bank is incredibly efficient with the donations they receive.”
That efficiency has made 186,408 meals out #SDBeer Holiday Food Drive donations over its lifespan. That equates to feeding 170 people three meals-a-day for an entire year. Though the physical collection of food won’t figure into this year’s effort, virtual food-drive donators can rest assured that their donations will once again be stretched to do the maximum amount of good. The Food Bank can provide five meals for every dollar it receives via donations.
“Since the pandemic hit the San Diego community in mid-March, the demand for emergency food assistance from the San Diego Food Bank and our North County Food Bank chapter has skyrocketed. We went from feeding 350,000 people every month to nearly 600,000 practically overnight,” says San Diego Food Bank President and CEO James Floros. “It truly takes a community to feed a community, and we couldn’t continue our important work without the support of community partners like the #SDBeer Holiday Food Drive. With their help and the support of those who donate to their virtual food drive, we can help feed families right here at home who are in need, including those impacted by the pandemic.”
A total of 68 different brewery locations have assisted via the #SDBeer Holiday Food Drive over the years. Beagle had hoped to expand the number of participating venues from 35 to 40 in 2020 with the help of between 15 to 20 volunteers and fervent supporters who come back every year.
“While I may be the face of the effort outside of Societe Brewing, by no means have I been able to take on this effort without incredible support from my wife, friends, family, and the San Diego beer industry and community,” says Beagle. “I would like to relay a serious thank-you to everyone that has volunteered, donated, participated and had fun along the way with this effort; not only for their generosity, but also their overall spirit of caring about their neighbor. We, as a country, need that more than ever right now.”
People looking to participate in the #SDBeer Holiday Food Drive, can do so online. The initiative will run until December 31.