Whitmeyer's steps up
Local distillery donating a month's worth of income to help veterans
Jun 1, 2019, 9:14 am
Whitmeyer's steps up
A local Houston business is putting its money where its mouth is when it comes to taking care of war veterans.
Whitmeyer's Distilling, LLC, Houston's first distillery, is donating all sales on site for the month of June to Camp Hope, an organization that helps veterans affected with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Camp Hope provides interim housing for veterans with PTSD and their family members in addition to providing other support.
In addition, Whitmeyer's will donate $1 for every bottle sold to Camp Hope be it onsite or to retailers going forward. This is above and beyond the original pledge of 30 days of sales.
Chris and Travis Whitmeyer are two brothers who founded the distillery, which features a variety of spirits, including whiskey, vodka and gin. They are both veterans of the Iraq war and wanted to help others who have served.
"We have lost many brothers who had no place when they got home," Chris Whitmeyer said. "We wanted to find a way to help."
So they vowed to donate all money from sales at the distillery, located at 16711 Hollister Drive in Northwest Houston, for an entire month. There are several specialty drinks at the distillery that are not available via retail. Whitmeyer's is open Thursday and Friday from 3-9 p.m., and Saturday from 12-6 p.m. They offer bar sales as well as bottle sales.
They also offer tours, a space for private parties and more. But for the month of June, they are offering people an opportunity to buy great alcohol and support a terrific cause.
For more information on Whitmeyer's distillery, go to whitmeyers.com
For more information on Camp Hope, go to https://ptsdusa.org/camp-hope/
Cam Smith brought three dozen Shipley's glazed donuts to his Houston Astros teammates Thursday morning before his major league debut.
Then he really delivered, with an opposite-field single on the first pitch he saw in the major leagues to help Houston to a 3-1 win over the New York Mets.
“They all liked it, so that’s a good thing," Smith said of the donuts, a sentiment that could also apply to his second-inning hit that set up the first run of the game.
The 22-year-old prospect reached the majors after playing just 32 minor league games. Batting seventh and starting in right field, he became the second-youngest Astros position player to make his MLB debut as a starter on opening day and the youngest since Rusty Staub was 19 in 1963.
With one out in the second, Smith grounded a single to right field on a sinker from Clay Holmes to get his first big league hit in his initial plate appearance. Jeremy Peña dashed from first to third on the play and later scored on a groundout.
“I was just looking for a pitch and I wanted to ambush it and I got lucky with that base hit,” Smith said.
The poise he showed in his debut impressed his coaches and teammates.
“He's amazing," Jose Altuve said. “He went the other way on a tough pitch and he set the tone to score the first run. I know he's going to help this team a lot. He's going to be out there getting better and better. He's just so talented.”
Most believed that Smith, the 14th overall pick in last year’s amateur draft, would need more time in the minors when he was acquired in December from the Chicago Cubs along with Isaac Paredes and Hayden Wesneski as part of the Kyle Tucker trade.
Instead, Smith hit .342 with a triple, four homers, 11 RBIs and a 1.130 OPS this spring to earn a spot on the major league roster.
The Astros announced he’d make the big league roster earlier this week, with manager Joe Espada inviting Smith's mother into the clubhouse to deliver the news. Video of the moment shared by the Astros captured the touching exchange.
After the trade, Smith moved from third base, where Paredes is starting, to right field, where he replaced Tucker.
Still wearing his dirt-stained uniform long after the last pitch Thursday, the kid who was playing college ball at Florida State at this time last year said he hadn’t had time to reflect on his whirlwind journey to the big leagues.
“I have not,” Smith said. “I was just out there with my family on the field appreciating this day and ... good thing we got done early so I can go home and get my feet under myself and think about it.”
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