The New Hampshire Liquor Commission (NHLC) has surpassed $3 million in donations to New Hampshire nonprofits over the past six years, with the conclusion of its largest and most recent fundraising effort for the New Hampshire Food Bank and Easterseals New Hampshire.
NHLC’s Cheers for Charity! raffle raised $200,000 through the raffle of 52 bottles of coveted wine and spirits, which were awarded to two winners from Keene and Gilford, New Hampshire.
Raffle proceeds will be split between the two charities.
In addition to the over $150 million in annual revenue contributed to New Hampshire’s General Fund, NHLC supports dozens of statewide nonprofits. Over the past six years, NHLC has worked with suppliers and brokers to raise money for nonprofit organizations making an impact in New Hampshire and beyond, including Crotched Mountain Foundation, New Hampshire Food Bank, Easterseals New Hampshire, Best Buddies New Hampshire, Animal Rescue League of New Hampshire, Homes for Our Troops, Operation Care for Troops, New Toys for Tots, Granite United Way, and many more.
“The New Hampshire Liquor Commission has long been committed to supporting the communities where we live and work,” says NHLC Chairman Joseph Mollica. “While our annual revenue to the General Fund supports essential state services, we are proud to take our service one step further with creative initiatives supporting our nonprofit community that leverage our unrivaled selection of the world’s best wines and spirits. We are extremely proud of this milestone and we look forward to continuing to find ways to make a positive impact on nonprofits throughout the Granite State.”
NHLC’s most recent Cheers for Charity! raffle featured 52 rare wines and spirits. Participants had the opportunity to choose between a spirits or wine package, valued at more than $30,000 and $19,000 on the secondary market, respectively. In addition to the prize packages, each winner will also receive an all-expenses-paid-trip to the Omni Mount Washington Resort in Bretton Woods, NH.
Daniel Kallmerten of Gilford, NH, was chosen as the winner of the spirits package, which consisted of 35 spirits, including O.F.C. 1994 Bourbon Whiskey, Pappy Van Winkle’s Family Reserve 23yr Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Woodford Reserve Baccarat Edition Kentucky Bourbon.
“When I entered the Cheers for Charity! raffle, I never expected to win,” says Kallmerten. “When my family from bourbon country in Kentucky visited New Hampshire last year, all they wanted to do was to stop at every Outlet along the way to see what bourbons were in stock. Needless to say, they were impressed and we are all very excited to try these exclusive products!”
The Cheers for Charity! raffle marks the first raffle in which NHLC has incorporated wines. All 17 wines included in the prize package scored at least 94 point,s with four of the wines scoring 100 — the highest score possible.
Mike Giacomo of Keene, NH was chosen as the winner of the wine package, which included a 2016 Château Pétrus Pomerol, 2017 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, 2016 Opus One and six bottles of 2017 Domaine de la Romanee-Conti Echezeaux housed in a sealed crate, and more.
“Finding out that I won the Cheers for Charity! raffle made my day to say the least,” said Mike Giacomo. “I’m really looking forward to enjoying these one-of-a-kind wines with my wife!”
The $100,000 in support from the Cheers for Charity! raffle comes at an important time for the New Hampshire Food Bank, as one in seven New Hampshire residents are currently food insecure, meaning they do not know where their next meal is coming from. The need is continuing to rise due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as the New Hampshire Food Bank, a program of Catholic Charities New Hampshire, estimates that an additional 55,500 people are now considered food insecure throughout the state.
“The significant funding from the Cheers for Charity! raffle supports our mission to eliminate food insecurity throughout New Hampshire and helps us purchase food for those in need across the state,” says Eileen Liponis, Executive Director, New Hampshire Food Bank. “We are extremely grateful for NHLC’s ongoing support, which puts us one step closer to reaching our goal of ending hunger in the Granite State.”
Over the past 17 years, NHLC has raised more than $2.1 million for Easterseals New Hampshire through the Winter Wine Spectacular, northern New England’s largest wine expo. The Winter Wine Spectacular takes places during New Hampshire Wine Week, a week-long celebration of wine featuring the biggest names in the wine industry for wine tastings, bottle signings, wine dinners and seminars.
