15 Years of Giving Back
Since its inception in 2011, the Barrel Full of Money (BFOM) campaign has raised over $700,000 for local families, uniting wineries and local business through the power of wine and community. In the event's first year, Cayuse General Manager and BMAC boardmember Trevor Dorland approached Duane Wollmuth, Walla Walla Valley Wine Alliance's then-Executive Director, with an idea to put the power of wine to work: two donation vessels in the form of wine barrels were placed at the Olive Marketplace & Café and The Marcus Whitman Hotel.
"The goal of the campaign," said Duane Wollmuth in the 2011 press release, "...is to fill two wine barrels with money that will then be used to buy food for those in Walla Walla County who struggle in today’seconomy. ... [WWVWA] felt that through a coordinated effort and working closely with other community partners, we could go further in helping to ease the financial burden many people feel in putting food on the table. I know that filling two full barrels is a lofty goal, but if we all contribute in a small way or simply empty the change we collect at home in a jar, we can go a long way in helping BMAC’s food bank."
BFOM's 2012 campaign expanded its scope, adding canisters at wineries, tastingroom fee donations, raffle tickets, and an Olive Café kickoff event. These efforts, combined with our community's generosity, raised an astounding $13,500 in support of the BMAC Food Bank.
And so began a beloved local event and campaign celebrating the generosity of local winemakers, wineries, and local business and the dreams of our Walla Walla Valley uniting to make a brighter future for every one of our neighbors.
With every year, this legacy of generosity continues to break its own records of support and continues to grow an even stronger community in the Walla Walla Valley. Let's hear it for the power of wine and community.
