The award-winning whisky celebrated the
hospitality industry with a $25,000
donation as part of the Crown Royal Generosity Fund's $1 million commitment to serving the most
generous among us
HOUSTON, Oct. 24,
2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Crown Royal continued their
multi-year NFL partnership, which includes the "Kick off with Crown
Royal" campaign by dedicating $25,000
from the Crown Royal Generosity Fund to the Southern Smoke
Foundation, an organization created to take care of food and
beverages workers who need it most. The donation is a part of the
award-winning whisky's $1 million
commitment to hospitality workers, active duty military members,
and veterans throughout the NFL season.
![During the Southern Smoke Festival, Bo Jackson and DeMarcus Ware hosted a cookoff challenge featuring Crown Royal infused BBQ sauce to raise money for the foundation. During the Southern Smoke Festival, Bo Jackson and DeMarcus Ware hosted a cookoff challenge featuring Crown Royal infused BBQ sauce to raise money for the foundation.](https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1928012/Crown_Royal_Bo_Jackson_and_DeMarcus_Ware_1.jpg)
As the first-ever whisky sponsor of the NFL, Crown Royal
continued their pledge to honor those who help fans celebrate
gameday by partnering with NFL Legends, Bo
Jackson and DeMarcus Ware, in
a cook off at the Southern Smoke Festival. The Legends collaborated
with local Houston restaurateurs to
create two unique Crown Royal infused BBQ sauces and went
head-to-head in a BBQ sauce competition. Consumers 21+ voted for
their favorite sauce, raising further funds for the Foundation.
After Team Bo Jackson
took an early lead, Team DeMarcus
Ware came back to seal the victory for the best Crown
Royal infused sauce.
"We're proud to continue to give back to the hospitality
community, and extend our partnership with the Southern Smoke
Foundation, who shares in our mission of helping those who help us
celebrate gameday," said Nicky Heckles, Vice President of Crown
Royal. "This season, we're excited to further our relationship with
Houston and the greater-Texas community by giving back directly to the
hospitality industry with Bo Jackson
and DeMarcus Ware."
Building on Diageo's league sponsorship deal which first
launched during the 2021-22 NFL season, Crown Royal's generosity
efforts will continue throughout the NFL season with activations in
partner stadiums and cities, benefiting hospitality industry
employees. These efforts will extend to another group whose
generosity continues to go unmatched, military veterans, who Crown
Royal has supported for over a decade through The Purple Bag
Project.
"We're thrilled to continue our relationship with Crown Royal as
we aim to inspire generosity towards the people who make gameday
what it is—the bartenders, servers, dishwashers, and more who help
us enjoy each and every NFL gameday," said Kathryn Lott, Executive Director of Southern
Smoke Foundation. "As we continue in our mission of helping our
own, the food and beverage industry, we're thankful to Crown Royal
for their ongoing support of our efforts."
In its first year as an official NFL sponsor, Crown Royal made a
$1 million dollar commitment to more
than twenty national and local nonprofits that support communities
in need. Additionally, the brand extended The Crown Royal Water
Break campaign by distributing over 6,000 water bottles on gameday
to encourage responsible drinking and continued The Purple Bag
Project by packing over 200,000 Purple Bags for the military
community.
All season long, fans can head to crownroyal.com and @crownroyal
on Instagram to hear the stories of the people who keep their
communities thriving. Crown Royal invites you to raise a glass to
all those who help make your gameday great, and please drink
responsibly.
*The Crown Royal Generosity Fund is a donor advised fund with
Diageo North America, Inc. as the donor and which is administered
by Fairfield County's Community Foundation, an IRS 501(c)(3)
organization. The dispersal of funds from the Crown Royal
Generosity Fund is subject to the approval of Fairfield County's
Community Foundation.
About Crown Royal
Crown Royal Canadian Whisky is the
number-one selling Canadian whisky brand in the world and has a
tradition as long and distinctive as its taste. Specially blended
to commemorate a grand tour of Canada made by King George VI and Queen
Elizabeth of Great Britain
in 1939, Crown Royal's smooth, elegant flavor and gift-worthy
presentation reflect its regal origins – it is considered the
epitome of Canadian whisky. For more information, visit
crownroyal.com. Crown Royal encourages all consumers to please
enjoy responsibly.
About Diageo North America
Diageo is a global leader
in beverage alcohol with an outstanding collection of brands
including Johnnie Walker, Crown
Royal, Bulleit and Buchanan's whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel
One vodkas, Casamigos, DeLeon and Don
Julio tequilas, Captain Morgan, Baileys, Tanqueray and
Guinness.
Diageo is listed on both the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: DEO)
and the London Stock Exchange (LSE: DGE) and their products are
sold in more than 180 countries around the world.
For more information about Diageo, their people, brands, and
performance, visit www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo's global
responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for information,
initiatives, and ways to share best practice. Follow on Twitter and
Instagram for news and information about Diageo North America:
@Diageo_NA.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Kyra Zeller
DIAGEO
Kyra.zeller@diageo.com
TAYLOR
crownroyal@taylorstrategy.com
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SOURCE Crown Royal