May 92 min read

Willis Dady's 9th Annual Hops for Housing Event Wrap-Up

On Saturday April 27th, over 300 people gathered from across Eastern Iowa at the Hotel at Kirkwood to attend Willis Dady's largest annual fundraiser, Hops for Housing. The Hotel at Kirkwood had a great ambiance for the event, with beautiful drapery and lighting to accent the vibrant vendor tables. Attendees dawned their pretzel necklaces, grabbed their pint glass, and were able to sip on samples from 23 local and national breweries, cideries, and wineries over the 3 hour event. Music from Roots of Rhythm and Joe Sorensen mixed beautifully with the sounds of clinking glasses, laughter, and conversation.

This year's Hops for Housing raised over $40,000 to support Willis Dady's general fund. This total comes from our generous sponsors, attendees, and free-will donations at the event. Funds raised at this event help our agency fill budgetary gaps and be able to address the emergent needs of our clients and community throughout the year. Thank you so much for supporting this event and our mission to empower all experiencing homelessness to build futures of self-sufficiency through advocacy, housing, and employment.

We would like to make a few special shout-outs:

Thank you to the 55 volunteers who helped pour samples, check-in attendees, set up brewery tables, and helped make this day a success! Volunteers served over 115 hours in one day! We could not have done this without you, and we are so grateful you chose to spend an afternoon with us.
Our Pretzel Preppers who strung together 300 pretzel necklaces (32 hours of work in total!) for this event! Your efforts were incredible tasty and the perfect snack to cleanse the palette in-between samples. (Special thanks to Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust, Great America, and First Interstate Bank for allowing your employees to donate their time to helping us!)

We could not have asked for a more generous group of businesses and individuals to come alongside us to break the cycle of homelessness in Eastern Iowa! Please make sure to support our business sponsors below and head to their websites by clicking their logo:

Willis Dady’s 9th Annual Hops for Housing Presenting Sponsor,

Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust