After school boards repeatedly rejected a Farmington brewery’s offers to sponsor youth sports, the business owners decided to bypass the traditional involvement and help students directly.
Lauter Haus Brewing Co. is hosting its first back-to-school drive to collect supplies and ease the financial burden on struggling families and teachers.
As an alcohol-focused business, the brewery has frequently been turned away from sponsoring high school events due to concerns from parents and school officials.
“We get shot down quite a bit on it, and we figured this is one way we could do it without having to get our name put on a banner or anything the schools or other parents might not approve of,” said Brandon Beard, a partner and co-owner of Lauter Haus. “This is one way for us to kind of get around that to still be able to help kids in the community out.”
Lauter Haus opened in late October 2019, but was forced to close just months later for a year and a half due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since reopening, the business has evolved into a community-oriented music venue that hosts 50 to 60 concerts and events a year.
The brewery’s initial goal for the fundraiser was to fill 100 backpacks with basic elementary school supplies, and the community response has already been overwhelming.
Over the past three weeks, local businesses and real estate agents have dropped off cases of items and cash donations. While they have received plenty of scissors, rulers and glue, Beard said that notebooks, three-ring binders and plastic folders are still highly needed.
Cash donations will be used to buy bulk classroom necessities, such as hand sanitizer, disinfectant wipes, printer paper and tissues.
Beard was inspired to gather these items after hearing from friends and family in the education field about funding cuts that force teachers to buy their own classroom supplies.
“Money’s getting tighter as it is,” Beard said. “Everything’s more expensive. We got a lot of kids that are in poverty. People just don’t really realize how many kids there are that can’t afford to get all the supplies they need.”
To ensure the distribution is handled fairly and to avoid leaving any children empty-handed in the brewery’s parking lot, Lauter Haus will deliver all the collected backpacks and boxes of supplies directly to the school district’s central office, which will distribute them to the students who need them most.
The Back to School Backpack and School Supply Drive will take place at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, at Lauter Haus Brewing Co. The evening will feature live music from Sqwerv, a nationally touring band from Denver. Admission is a $5 donation or a new school supply. For more information, visit lauterbrew.com.
Looking ahead, Beard said they plan to make the drive an annual event.
“Kids are our future and we should be investing in them as much as we possibly can,” Brandon said. “We’re just trying to give peers and adults one last bang for adults to help out the kids.”