Dogfish Head and Sussex Habitat mark five years as partners

Dogfish Head and Sussex County Habitat for Humanity on April 7 celebrated five years of partnership designed to serve the local community. Despite the cold and rain, this years’ event was Sussex Habitat's largest one-day service project to date.

Teams that included 25 Habitat staff and volunteer leaders, and more than 175 Dogfish Head coworkers framed four new homes at the Dogfish Brewery Milton location and went on site to a soon-to-be-demolished 14,000-square-foot home in Rehoboth Beach to remove salvageable products for resale at the Habitat Restore in Georgetown.

Dogfish Head Brewery and its restaurants closed their doors to business in order to allow coworkers to spend the day helping the community they live in. In addition to their day of service, Dogfish Head made a donation to Sussex County Habitat for Humanity on behalf of each worker.

Sam and Mariah Calagione, owners of Dogfish Head Brewery and Dogfish Head Brewings & Eats, have committed through their Beer & Benevolence program to endeavor to creatively collaborate with nonprofit organizations to foster community, nourish artistic advancement and cultivate environmental stewardship. In addition to days of service and financial donations, Dogfish Head sponsors a night of Beer & Benevolence at its Rehoboth Beach location. This year the event took place in March, raising funds and collecting donated tools for use on future Habitat projects.

Sussex Habitat Executive Director Kevin Gilmore said, “We have an incredible partnership with Dogfish Head. Each year, they ask how they can help, and they come out in force ready to serve. It is a fun day of teambuilding for their coworkers and service to the community. The work they do in one day helps us advance our construction schedule by weeks. We look forward to it each year.”

Cheryl Vogl and Theresa Dorrell, members of Sussex Habitat partner families, were able to attend the Dogfish Head event. “The Dogfish Head owners and staff were some of the most generous, fun, and compassionate people I have ever met. The whole day was full of smiles and laughs. These people put as much heart into helping others as they do into brewing their famous beer. I pray their kindness to me and my family and all the Habitat families they have helped over the years comes back to them tenfold,” Vogl said.

At the end of the build day, Dogfish Head presented Gilmore with a donation of $5,000. SCHFH plans on building eight new homes, renovating one home, repairing 18 minor home projects, and repairing five major home projects, serving a total of 32 families this fiscal year in Sussex County.

Seeking to put God’s love into action, Sussex County Habitat for Humanity continues to bring people together to build homes, communities and hope. Thanks to companies like Dogfish Head, Sussex Habitat can help build, repair and renovate more homes in Sussex County.