The Century Council is proud to be at Total Wine & More in St. Petersburg, Florida today to encourage shoppers to take a responsibility pledge regarding alcohol this season.  At a press event today, Ralph Blackman, President and CEO of The Century Council, joined Matt Indre, Total Wine & More's senior manager of public affairs and co-architect of the outreach effort as well as a representative from the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office and the Hillsborough County Anti-Drug Alliance to announce that over 1,000 customers in Tampa Bay–area stores have taken the pledge to-date.  

The pledges, which can be made online at www.totalwine.com/community (or at any of Total Wine's three Tampa Bay-area stores), encourage holiday party-goers to provide food when alcoholic beverages are served, offer guests non-alcoholic beverages, prevent anyone under 21 from obtaining alcohol, be a designated driver or have an alternative transportation plan and model responsible drinking for others.  Total Wine & More will donate $1 to the Hillsborough County Anti-Drug Alliance for every pledge made in-store or online. Throughout the Holiday Season, Total Wine team members will be dressed in "Pledge T-Shirts" and the stores will prominently display information on hosting a responsible holiday party. 

As an extension of this effort, The Century Council and Total Wine & More commissioned independent research which revealed that:

• 82% of the community believes it is important for a business that sells alcohol to promote responsibility.
• 77% of adults in the community are likely to shop at a retailer who promotes alcohol responsibility among its customers and the community.  Two-thirds of area residents report they feel more favorable toward a company or brand if their name is included in a responsibility message.
• 72% of respondents report they would take a pledge to be a responsible consumer and host when alcohol is served.
• When it comes to being socially responsible when consuming alcohol, don’t drive drunk (68%)  and using a designated driver (64%) top the list.

We hope that this effort in Tampa Bay will save lives and make the holidays brighter this year!