A group of investors in Hood River, Oregon's Double Mountain Brewery have formed the Double Mountain Foundation to assist laid off employees. With much of the hospitality industry laid-off due to the Coronavirus, workers are in need of help with shelter, food & healthcare costs to name a few things. Double Mountain foundation was awarded a $7,500 grant from The United Way of Columbia Gorge for gift cards for groceries and the Gorge Grown farmers market going to workers in need of assistance.

The Double Mountain Foundation is seeking additional funding to establish a broader program that will include food assistance for hospitality workers throughout the Hood River Gorge community displaced by this crisis. The foundation is extremely grateful to this generous gift from the local community and hopes to expand donations to reach more restaurant and hospitality workers in the gorge.

All funds raised will be distributed as direct support to eligible applicants in some of the following ways; Gift cards for groceries/gas/home supplies, rent, utilities, health insurance, medical supplies, car payments, transportation costs, and child care. There is room in the criteria to help in other ways on a case-by-case basis in acute instances of crisis. All grants will be paid directly to vendors or through gift cards.

“As I’ve been reaching out to many restaurant owners, I hear a very similar story of hard working staff that have been laid off, but through the complexity of the overwhelmed unemployment system, still have received no assistance. It is heartbreaking. These families are struggling every day to make ends meet and put food on the table”, says Matt Swihart, Foundation Board Member, and Owner of Double Mountain.

Individuals or groups that would like to make a donation can find a link on our website at www.doublemountainbrewery.com/double-mountain-foundation/ or can be mailed to:

Double Mountain Foundation
PO Box 1660, Hood River, OR 97031
We have submitted our application to the IRS to qualify as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and are awaiting a likely tax-exempt certification. Donations are not guaranteed to be tax deductible until that status is confirmed.

About Us
The Double Mountain Foundation was organized during the pandemic COVID-19 outbreak after the closure of our restaurants and a dramatic downturn of our brewery business. Our mission is to provide financial assistance for current and former Double Mountain employees facing severe impacts on their personal lives during this crisis and provide a platform to assist our staff in the future for other traumatic events. We are a community service organization that can assist our local community with charitable projects that benefit the lives of our citizens to make our towns a thriving place to live.