NEW ULM — August Schell Brewing Company announces the return of its “Firebrick for Firefighters” program, donating a portion of sales from every case and keg of Firebrick Vienna Lager sold in 2022.

“Giving back has always been part of our DNA here at Schell’s,” said Ted Marti, president of August Schell Brewing Co. “I believe in our community. It’s been good to us, so we want to be good to them.”

The brewery and its distributors are donating funds to MnFIRE, the Minnesota Firefighter Initiative (mnfireinitiative.com), and the St. Paul Fire Foundation (stpaulfirefoundation.org) to help firefighters throughout Minnesota as well as other organizations within their six-state sales region.

“Funds from the 2022 initiative will continue to support the overall mission of providing Minnesota’s firefighters with the tools they need to prioritize and protect their health,” said MnFIRE President George Esbensen.

The goal is to raise more than $20,000 and bring light to the sacrifices firefighters make that can affect their emotional wellness and cause health problems such as cardiac issues and cancer.

“We’ll be using the contribution from Firebrick for Firefighters to assist several initiatives over the next few years,” said SPFF Executive Director Cris Shapira. “We’re working to provide firefighters with better access to cancer screenings, new mattresses at fire stations and equipment that allows them to perform duties in a safer and more efficient manner.”

To bring more awareness to the program and highlight firefighters’ sacrifices, Schell’s worked with fire departments to source decommissioned fire helmets to rest on retail displays. Schell’s gift shop is selling Firebrick for Firefighters branded apparel and drinkware with a portion of those proceeds being given back to local fire departments as well.

Find out where you can get your Firebrick and support Minnesota firefighters at schellsbrewery.com/beer-locator.