Squirrels Team Up With Hops For Heroes
RICHMOND, VA - The Richmond Flying Squirrels will partner with Hops for Heroes to serve Homefront IPA at The Diamond during their game against the Trenton Thunder on Thursday, May 23rd. Homefront IPA will be available at the Squirrels' Virginia Beer Taste the Local stand with all proceeds benefitting Operation Homefront. Operation Homefront is a non-profit organization that assists the families of military personnel when they fall on hard times.
Additionally, the team will hold a special media tasting of Homefront IPA at The Diamond on Wednesday, May 22nd, at 2 p.m. All media members are invited to attend/cover the tasting.
The goal of Hops for Heroes is to raise money and awareness for Operation Homefront through the sale of Homefront IPA and its relationship with the craft brewing and professional baseball industries.
"We are thrilled to be partnering with Hops for Heroes to aid Operation Homefront," said Flying Squirrels Vice President & COO Todd "Parney" Parnell. "We are constantly striving to honor and assist our military personnel, and to be able to do in such a creative and baseball-oriented way is extremely exciting for us."
Hops for Heroes is a charitable effort started in 2011 in Seattle, Washington with Fremont Brewing Company and Chris and Phil Ray of Center of the Universe Brewing Company (COTU). Homefront IPA is a beer that was created by both breweries and brewed at Fremont in order to raise money for Operation Homefront. The beer was aged on unfinished Louisville Slugger maples bats and sold in both bottles and kegs throughout the Seattle area. 100% of the proceeds were given to the Washington Chapter of Operation Homefront. Once the bats were dried out, they were auctioned off with 100% of the proceeds going to Operation Homefront. For more information about Hops for Hereos, please visit http://www.hopsforheroes.com
"From its beginning in 2011, Homefront IPA has been all about beer, baseball, and most importantly, America's Troops," said Chris Ray of Center of the Universe Brewery Company. " It debuted at Safeco Field in 2011, so it was only appropriate to continue that tradition with the Flying Squirrels in 2013. We believe the Flying Squirrels share the same belief in charity and community as we do, making it a perfect partnership."
Operation Homefront is a non-profit organization that assists the families of military personnel when they fall on hard times. From car payments to medical bills, Operation Homefront provides financial assistance for all types of family emergencies. For more information, please visit www.operationhomefront.com.
In 2012, Hops for Heroes expanded to include six total breweries from all over the country. Each brewery has been paired with their local Operation Homefront chapter. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of the beer will go directly to the local chapters. In addition to the breweries, sponsors have volunteered to donate some of the hops and grains to lower the cost of producing the beer and thus increasing the donation to Operation Homefront. Hops for Heroes has professional baseball player ambassadors for each of the breweries associated with the project. This allows for an increase in awareness of the effort and the charity. Louisville Slugger has also donated six laser-inscribed bats for each brewery.
The media tasting on the 22nd will also include media availability from Flying Squirrels' personnel, Chris Ray and members of the United States Military based at Fort Lee, located in Petersburg, VA.
Tickets are currently available for the Squirrels game on May 23rd, as well as to all remaining 2013 home games. For more information or to purchase tickets, please visit SquirrelsBaseball.com, call (804) 359-FUNN (3866) or stop by the Flying Squirrels Ticket Office at The Diamond.