Giving Back for Jack

Editor’s Note: With the rise of Facebook, many food products and brands have fan pages. But few can claim actual collector societies. After running the story on Jack Daniel’s in the last issue, we received a request from just such a society. Not only are the members of the International Society of Jack Daniel’s Collectors “very passionate about ‘all things Jack,’” they are just as passionate about contributing their time and money to help those less fortunate. As explained by Jason Pogar when requesting extra copies of the January/February issue of QA for members of the group:
 

The International Society of Jack Daniel’s Collectors (ISJDC) is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization. ISJDC was formed in 2004 with less than a dozen members. Our “headquarters” is right down the road from Jack Daniel’s Distillery in Lynchburg, Tenn. Today the organization has about 70 members worldwide and over 800 fans on Facebook. From the USA to Australia, and several countries in between, the members raise funds and donate numerous hours of volunteer work to run the organization at its optimal potential. Unlike large non-profit corporations that have overhead and capital and only see a small percent of money raised going to where it’s needed most, ISJDC is 100% volunteer based and has zero operating funds. All money that is raised is given back to the local communities.

There are a few things that all members have in common, they like to help those less fortunate and they are very passionate about “all things Jack.” Most members have Jack collections that take up one room or all the rooms in their house. We collect everything and anything that has the Jack Daniel’s name on it, from jugs and cylinder bottles from the 1800’s to today’s newly designed bottle. When we saw the magazine come out with such a nice article on Jack, several members immediately needed a copy for their private collections. We have also contacted Jeff Arnett, the master distiller, who has agreed to sign all the copies.

Some of the projects that ISJDC has contributed time or money to are: Lynchburg Adopt-A-Highway program, the group has adopted a two-mile stretch of road in Lynchburg which they clean four times a year; Santa’s Stocking Stuffer Program run by the Moore County Library which helps bring gifts to children each year in the Lynchburg area; Weekend Backpacks which gives children nutritional snacks, easy microwavable foods, and hygiene products who might be home alone on the weekends while their parents are working (also run by the Moore County Library); St. Baldrick’s fund, a charity that researches a cure for cancer in children; Moore County Volunteer Fire Department; Ferris Creek Lodge Scholarship Fund; purchasing of new sneakers and uniforms for a local low-income youth basketball team; and, just recently, several donations around the world at Ronald McDonald Houses. ISJDC sponsored several rooms throughout the world for the month of December 2011.