Communal bowling shoes were laced up and pint glasses were filled to the brim with Beer Church Pale Ale as 250 bowlers hit the lanes at West Seattle Bowl on Nov. 20 to raise funds and food for the West Seattle Food Bank.

Bowlers filtered into the alley one after another, carrying bags full of food and wallets full of cash to purchase raffle tickets and beer, all for the sake of the food bank.

“Over the 12 years it just keeps getting bigger and bigger and now we sell out the entire bowling alley pretty much the moment we announce it,” Kendall Jones, a founding member of Beer Church said at the event.

The competition was comprised of 26 teams, a mixture of private groups, various businesses and a large showing of area breweries including Pike Brewing, Elliot Bay Brewing, Emerald City Beer Co., Georgetown Brewing, Naked City Brewing, Two Beers Brewing and Big Al Brewing out of White Center.

“It’s a good charity event and it’s fun to bowl,” Pike brewer Adam Palmer said as he mentally prepared to roll. “All the breweries come out and have fun doing it.”

Joe Moldovan, who used to work as a brewer for Pacific Rim Brewing (now Big Al) in White Center, was in attendance as an observer and rooting on his wife who was bowling for the Pike Brewing team.

When asked what the link is between beer and philanthropy, Moldovan said, “It’s because brewers care about people. We care about the beer, we care about the people.”

Jones said last year's event brought in 1500 pounds of food and $3000 for the food bank, and he hopes to break the 3000 mark with both this year.

Beer Church was formed in Seattle in 1998, and Jones described its inception:

“At one point we happened to have a party where we were earning money for a friend’s charity effort and the light bulb went on and we figured out that’s what we should be doing; putting on big parties and stuff where we earn money for charity.”

According to their website, “Beer Church is a Seattle-based organization dedicated to one simple principle -- make the world a better place one beer at a time. To that end, we organize fundraisers that provide easy and fun ways for beer lovers to contribute to the community. We have been doing it for 11 years. In that time, we have raised nearly $100,000 for a number of different charitable causes. With love in our hearts and beer in our hands, we have helped pet shelters, food banks, women's shelters, and many other worthy causes.”

39th Ave s.w. was a philanthropically blessed road on Nov. 20 as the day started with Eastridge Christian Assembly church (right across the street from West Seattle Bowl) giving away 1000 turkeys and Thanksgiving side dishes to anyone who showed up.

Jones got word that the church was going to drop off their leftover turkeys to contribute to the food bank as well.

For more information on Beer Church’s history, future charity functions and membership information, visit www.beerchurch.com.