by Monica Palmer
I never really appreciated wine until I was a mother.
I remember the night my attitude about wine changed. A girlfriend of mine brought over what she determined to be “a lovely Merlot,” and I wrinkled my nose and said, “No, thanks.” Up until that point, my only experience of wine was a sickeningly sweet swallow of Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill, and I based my entire opinion of wine on that scarring experience.
My friend insisted that a glass of wine would help me relax after a longer than usual day with my terrifically terrible two year-old. I reluctantly gave in to her good-natured peer pressure and approached the glass as I would a plastic shot of cough syrup.
Much to my surprise, the wine was actually quite tasty. Furthermore, after half a glass, I realized the tension I’d been feeling had melted away. I was actually laughing about some of the day’s trials that had me near tears just a few hours earlier.
I’m still not a huge wine drinker. I do love to have a glass with a nice meal or to celebrate a special occasion. That said, I plan to find more reasons to increase my wine intake over the next few months…for a good cause.
One of Missouri’s most-acclaimed wine-makers, St. James Winery, is partnering for a second year with Missouri Food Bank Association to help end childhood hunger. Through the months of March and April, St. James Winery will donate a portion of proceeds from the sale of their wine to support local food bank child feeding programs.
St. James Winery is truly a Missouri gem. Jim and Pat Hofherr opened St. James Winery back in 1970. They started small, producing about 3,400 cases of wine that first year. Today, the winery is still family owned and operated, and they now produce more than 200,000 cases of wine each year.
Peter Hofherr, the current CEO of St. James Winery, shares his parents’ ability to grow something huge from humble beginnings. The Hofherr family has been supporting the Buddy Pack program that serves the St. James community for years. Simply helping at the local level wasn’t enough for this amazing family, though. Peter, his family and his staff decided to extend their efforts to support child feeding programs throughout the state.
Throughout March and April, St. James Winery will track the purchase of their wine in this state to make sure your purchase benefits your local Missouri food bank. The six Missouri food banks cover every county in the state, and each food bank will use the St. James Winery donation specifically for child hunger programs.
So please, join with me and raise a glass of delicious St. James Wine to applaud the generosity of an outstanding Missouri business and the tireless efforts of Missouri food banks. Together we can end childhood hunger.