Tröegs Independent Brewing’s brewery at 200 E. Hersheypark Dr. in Hershey
Tröegs Independent Brewing
DERRY TWP., Pa. — It’s the most wonderful time of the year, and with the return of Tröegs Independent Brewing’s Most Wonderful Beer Weekend, the season will be filled with a bit more joy for children in need.
Now, through Friday, Dec. 5, Tröegs is collecting new, unwrapped toys and gifts at its brewery in Hershey. The donations will be turned over to Cocoa Packs, a Hershey-based nonprofit that supports local children.
And with this being the season of giving, those who donate will get something in return — a free Tröegs Pennsylvania Lager glass, while supplies last.
The donation drive serves as a kickoff for Tröegs’ annual Most Wonderful Beer Weekend, which will get underway on Thursday, Nov. 20. The four-day event celebrates the return of the brewery’s holiday ale, Mad Elf, which features five varieties of sweet-and-sour cherries and Pennsylvania wildflower honey.
“Mad Elf captures so many things about the holidays for so many people,” said Chris Trogner, a co-founding brother of the brewery.
The event will conclude on Sunday, Nov. 23, with the inaugural Holiday Makers Market. From noon until 5 p.m., visitors can browse and purchase gifts, decorations, and other hand-crafted items from more than a dozen local artisans.
Additional activities will include photos with Santa Claus and children’s crafts.
The brewery’s charitable efforts don’t stop with the toy collection. Tröegs’ third annual Perpetual Giving campaign is also underway.
Now through Dec. 31, the brewery will donate a portion of proceeds from the sale of its Perpetual IPA to Feeding Pennsylvania, a network of food banks that serve the state’s 67 counties, including Helping Harvest of Berks and Schuylkill counties and Second Harvest Food Bank of the Lehigh Valley and Northeast Pennsylvania.
“The holiday season serves as a reminder of the ever increasing and real issue of food insecurity,” Trogner said. “We’re proud to partner with our amazing wholesalers to provide aid to Feeding Pennsylvania and local food pantries in our home state.”
Each year, Feeding Pennsylvania’s network of food banks distributes more than 237 million pounds of food to almost 3,000 agencies and food pantries across the commonwealth.
“We applaud Tröegs for prioritizing food insecurity in Pennsylvania at this critical moment,” said Julie Bancroft, Feeding Pennsylvania,’s CEO. “This campaign exemplifies the ‘neighbors helping neighbors’ philosophy and will bolster resources for our charitable food network during this time of great need.”
Since the campaign’s inception in 2023, Tröegs has donated more than $40,000 to Feeding Pennsylvania. Every dollar generated provides approximately four meals to people in need.