By Ryan Cruse
They say in hard times is when you see people's true colors. This couldn’t be more evident when you look at what 7 Devils Brewing Company (the Oregon Coast’s first Ocean Friendly Restaurant) owners Annie Pollard and Carmen Matthews, have been up to this past week.
Free Meals for Laid-off Staff
Even though they had to lay off most of their employees (including themselves), they have kept their kitchen open for take out orders and are using proceeds to provide free meals to the families of their laid-off staff. So far they’ve been able to produce 12-20 free meals per day!
Soup for the Homeless
They are also cooking up huge batches of soup for their local homeless shelter so that those who are less fortunate are better able to shelter in place and stay healthy. Last week they supplied 1-2 meals for over 75 individuals and plan to continue as long as they are able.
Homebrewed Sanitizer
Soon, Carmen and brewer Sam Crowley will be trying their hands at ethanol production by fermenting sugar water which will then be distilled by their partners at Stillwagon Distillery and used to create bulk sanitizer. This sanitizer will then be distributed to local facilities such as nursing homes to help combat the spread of COVID-19. A big thanks to the firefighters in Gold Beach who are supplying the funds for the ingredients and will be in charge of distributing the sanitizer.
Show Your Love
In the best of times, 7 Devils Brewery is a shining example of a true pub, creating a place for their community to come together over damn fine beer, locally sourced food and free live music. And now in the worst of times, they are redefining what it means to be a public house, working to support their community in every way they are able.
Since their inception, 7 Devils Brewery has been a huge supporter of Surfrider, hosting meetings and events, serving as an early adopter of our Ocean Friendly Restaurant program and by helping raise awareness through their Ocean Friendly (Beer) Garden. Annie and Carmen even helped found the Coos Bay Chapter and are die-hard advocates for the health of Coos Bay and their local beaches.
Now it’s our time to return the love and support! For those who are local, we encourage you to (safely) order from their take-out menu and grab some to-go beer if you can or buy their brew at the local co-op. For those who aren’t local, please consider making a donation to support their community efforts or buying a gift-card to use once it’s safe to travel to our rural coastal communities.
The only way we’ll get through all this is together.