Removing trash for a beer? Surly thinks it’s the way to go.
Since 2007, Minneapolis’ Surly Brewing Company has held an annual party called Darkness Day to celebrate the release of its coveted Darkness Russian Imperial Stout. Part beer festival and part heavy metal music showcase, the event is run with help from beer-loving volunteers. In 2010, the Darkness Day helpers mentioned that they’d like to get together and volunteer more often.
Brewery founder Omar Ansari loved the idea, so that same year the brewery launched a charitable arm, Surly Gives A Damn (SGAD), and started organizing volunteer events around the Twin Cities. In 2015, SGAD expanded with the goal of volunteering in all the areas where the brewery distributes — North Dakota, South Dakota, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Colorado and Manitoba, Canada. After each volunteer project, workers get rewarded with a free round of Surly beer.
“It’s just a really fantastic way to give back to the communities that are drinking our beer,” says Krissy Welle, SGAD coordinator. “We want to be able to make an influential impact and get people out volunteering.” Welle says the program taps into a demographic that perhaps wouldn’t otherwise get involved with a volunteer organization. “Normally they’d be drinking beer on a patio,” she says.
The organization has been to Madison four times since 2017, most recently on May 12 when it partnered with Friends of Monona Bay for a lakeshore cleanup. A group of 35 volunteers met at Brittingham Park and removed 32 bags of trash — plus a bicycle — from the area. Afterward, they were rewarded for their efforts with free beer at Growlers to Go-Go.
In 2017, SGAD volunteers completed 55 volunteer projects and clocked 4,392 volunteer hours Welle says. This year, they’re on track to do 60 projects. Partner organizations include food banks, community centers, environmental groups and schools. Welle hopes to expand SGAD into more education and arts-focused organizations, but it’s important to make sure the partnership is a good fit. “Since we swear and drink beer, we have to be really careful,” she says. SGAD’s next event in Madison will be Oct. 9 at the Goodman Community Center. Interested volunteers can sign up online at surlybrewing.com/surly-gives-a-damn.