Surly Gives A Damn (SGAD) works with many charitable organizations across the Twin Cities to give back to the communities and neighborhoods that support us. We’re going to highlight some of the longest-running SGAD partners and what they do.
Who: Keystone Community Services
What: Founded in 1939, Keystone began as a small neighborhood community center. Today, Keystone reaches more than 40,000 people, primarily in the Ramsey County area, through a variety of programming and human services, from food services to crisis support and more.
How: Surly Gives A Damn became increasingly aware of Keystone Community Services when COVID hit. We were looking for organizations to help during that time because volunteers were in short supply for so many organizations and our SGAD volunteers were ready and willing to pitch in. With Keystone right down the street from our Minneapolis location, we could jump in and help ensure food kept getting to the folks they served.
Over the past two years we were able to help out at seven events, gathering 75+ volunteers, who in turn gave back 234 hours of time at Keystone’s Food Shelf, food distribution sites and at several of their Free Farmer’s Markets.
SGAD’s Mary Sellke on Keystone: “Keystone’s mission is to ‘strengthen the capacity of individuals and families to improve their quality of life.’ They do this by providing vital, community-based services with a commitment to serving people with the greatest needs. These are the types of organizations that Surly Gives A Damn strives to pair up with. Our partnership allows SGAD to help build a stronger community while also helping Keystone live their mission.
Jen Winterfeldt, Keystone’s Director of Development and Community Engagement, on SGAD: “Whenever we have needed extra helping hands during the pandemic, the SGAD volunteers have been there! They have helped us weather the storm and have been there for us in all weather – helping distribute food in the rain, in heat and humidity, and in single-digit temperatures. The volunteers are kind, compassionate, and deeply committed to helping make sure everyone in our community has food and support when they need it. We are immensely grateful for our partnership with the SGAD team!”
The Future: We look forward to working with Keystone again at their food distribution in March (sign up coming soon) and throughout 2022! Check out the SGAD page on surlybrewing.com for current event information and updates.
