Western Paper Team Demonstrates Support for Local Restaurant Workers

Western Paper Distributors, a division of Imperial Dade, was a Ruby sponsor for the annual Drink Red, Wear Red (DRWR) event. Developed by the Colorado Restaurant Association (CRA), DRWR celebrates the hospitality industry while raising funds to support the hard-working restaurant employees of Colorado. Proceeds from this event benefit the Colorado Restaurant Foundation as well as the CRA Mile High Chapter Hardship Fund, which provides emergency grants to metro-Denver hospitality workers facing unanticipated hardship. Last year, more than $75,000 was raised at the event!

Hosted at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, DRWR featured 22 local restaurants, as well as a full bar (with a side of wine tasting) over four hours. These restaurants provide their staff and time while food suppliers donate the food. As the Ruby sponsor, Western Paper donated the drinkware and food service packaging—all of which was compostable to align with the sustainability practices of the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. This year, the event sold out of VIP tickets and more than 800 people attended!

Drew Frank, a member of the CRA Mile High Chapter Board and one of our sales leaders, says of the event, “We’re fortunate to partner with such a great local community. We love being a sponsor and we love the relationships that we have within this community.” Indeed, the relationships built throughout the local community reach beyond restaurants and their patrons. The Colorado Hotel and Lodging Association also showed their support as an Amethyst sponsor of the event and donating items to the silent auction.

We have been a proud sponsor of this event for the last three years and look forward to it each year. An evening of good food and good fun, it supports two incredible foundations while also helping build stronger connections between the restaurant industry, those of us who serve it, and the patrons for each establishment.