Seattle Beer Week: Turning Beer into Donations, By Supporting the Red Cross and Tennessee Flood Victims

It's not often that we post something on our website that is more personal than general, but as we sit in our hotel room in Virginia, we cannot help but think of those less fortunate.

For those of you in Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, and especially those in the major cities (Seattle, Portland, Boise, etc.), it's easy to forget the floods of December 2007.

Those that lived in Lewis County, will never forget the loss of cattle, homes, furniture and livelihoods, all washed away by the waters of the Chehalis River. Today as it was for us, there is another state that has been suffering through some of the worst rains that state has seen. The state in question is Tennessee which has seen several regions taking a beating.

We found this video posted on YouTube (and inspired us through a visit to Mashable.com) to remind you that despite our woes with the winds and the rains, it doesn't compare to what those in Tennessee have had to endure.

So what does this have to do with drinking a pint during Seattle Beer Week? Truth is nothing, unless you are willing to make a small sacrifice. We propose something to those that will be out raising a toast to each other, to good health, or to those affected by tragedies like the flooding in Tennessee, donate to the American Red Cross. Before you argue giving up spending your allowance on a pint, let us instead ask for something less noble, take a percentage of what you spend and add that to the cost of your pint but put it in your pocket.

What this means is that for every $5 spent, take 10 - 20% of the cost, add it to the total and then place that in a piggy bank till the 23rd. So even if you spend $5 on one pint of beer, you would end up donating $5 to the Red Cross on the last day of Seattle Beer Week. Mind you we are not asking you to forgo giving your bartender or server a small gratuity, we are simply making it easy for you to donate.

And for those that feel like giving now, feel free to donate what you think you will spend during Seattle Beer Week, to the American Red Cross’s Nashville Tennessee Office. To get things started we have created some small calculations to show you what you would be donating at the end of the week (or this week).

*Assumed value of one pint is $5

• 1 Pint times 10% = $.50 times 10 days = $5 (or one pint equivalent)
• 2 Pints times %10 = $1.00 times 10 days = $10 (or two pints equivalent)
• 3 Pints times %10 = $1.50 times 10 days = $15 (or three pints equivalent)

As you can see these are extremes but without thinking you have essentially donated a small amount to the red cross and even if we have a hundred people get together and do this, that’s $500 - $1500 the American Red Cross didn't have before. So stop reading this and start saving today.

Special thanks to Mashable, "The Social Media Guide" for inspiring this writer to create this Editorial.

American Red Cross, Nashville Chapter

Cheers