Roots Handmade Pizza West Town Donating All Proceeds From Remaining Founders Brewing Kegs to Charity

The West Town location of Roots Handmade Pizza at 1924 W Chicago Ave has shifted the focus of its previously scheduled Founders Brewing tap takeover into a charity fundraising effort in light of the racial discrimination lawsuit against Founders.
 
The West Town location of Roots had previously scheduled a Founders tap takeover to take place at 11am on November 1^st 2019 featuring kegs of the rare 2019 and 2018 Canadian Breakfast Stout in addition to kegs of 2019 and 2018 Kentucky Breakfast Stout. Roots had been working on this particular Founders event for the last five months.
 
Roots had already purchased the 2018 Canadian Breakfast Stout, 2018 Kentucky Breakfast Stout, and 2019 Kentucky Breakfast Stout for Friday’s tap takeover before the recent Founders racial discrimination controversy came to light. Roots was scheduled to purchase and receive a keg of the 2019 Founders Canadian Breakfast Stout this week for the event but will now not purchase or receive that keg.
 
Instead the event will continue at 11am on November 1^st at the Roots West Town location without the support of Founders, and 100 percent of the proceeds from the three Founders kegs already in house will go to the Chicago-based Polished Pebbles Girls Mentoring Program. If any of the three Founders kegs remain on tap after Friday at Roots, 100 percent of all proceeds from these kegs will continue to be collected for Polished Pebbles until the kegs kick.
 
The mission of Polished Pebbles is to provide African-American and Latina girls aged 7 to 17 years old throughout Chicago and Northwest Indiana the opportunity of learning the vital life skills of effective communication. Polished Pebbles – which recently celebrated its 10th anniversary – has previously partnered with Bloomingdale's, Nordstrom, the Microsoft Store, Chicago Housing Authority, various schools and universities, and more throughout the years.
 
“We booked this Founders event months ago, and we want to turn their negatives into positives for our community,” Roots and The Fifty/50 Restaurant Group co-owner Scott Weiner said. “We are proud to support Polished Pebbles as a local non-profit that helps lift up young women from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups and from low-income backgrounds by donating 100 percent of the proceeds from our Founders keg sales from the Roots West Town location to them.”
 
“Furthermore, we will no longer carry any more Founders beer at any of our 18 bars and restaurants within The Fifty/50 Restaurant Group after the current allotment has been sold thru until we know Founders has publicly stated and put into action a proactive plan to address the racial discrimination issues within their company. We pride ourselves on working with companies that champion their employees and uplift their communities.”

“Since 2009, Polished Pebbles has helped over 3,000 girls S.H.I.N.E. by becoming great communicators at home, school, and in the future workplace,” Polished Pebbles founder Kelly Fair said. “We are excited to partner with Roots on this important charity fundraiser for Polished Pebbles.”
 
Back in 2015, the Roots West Town location partnered with 5 Rabbit Cervecería by buying a keg of its “Chinga Tu Pelo” beer and donating $500 to the International Latino Cultural Center of Chicago.