Skip to main content

Feel Good Fridays: Wine to Water Charity

While Americans are sighing over sequesters and delayed flights, many forget the crisis that effects millions of needy people around the world on a daily basis due to the lack of water and sanitation. Fortunately a gentleman named Doc Hendley (a CNN Hero) has created Wine to Water, a non-profit  (501 (c) 3) charity aid organization focused on providing clean water to people in need world wide.

Doc was inspired to help after working in Darfur installing water systems for the victims of the government supported genocide.  As he explained it to us, “I was finishing up a degree and went away over Christmas break to my parents home in Boone, North Carolina. I woke up one night and had the term, ‘Wine to Water’ in my head, wrote it down and got chills. So I started doing searches  on water crisis and water problems. When I googled I  found that over 1 billion people in the world are effected by the water crisis; it effects more than HIV or any other disease. So instead of writing some cheesy country song  I started writing out ideas on how to put these ideas into use. Six months after my first event I was on a plane to Darfur.”

Recommended Videos

A former musician and bartender, Doc’s first idea was to help people through organizing wine tasting fund raisers. They became so successful that people now host wine tasting benefits nationwide at their homes, schools and clubs to help the cause.

The money raised goes to all of Wine to Water’s clean water initiatives around the world. They use local materials and partner with people and organizations from each region in order to understand the lay of the land and needs of each area. For instance in Uganda they produce bio-sand water filters and rainwater harvesting systems with locally available materials.  In Haiti they make ceramic water filters and in Cambodia the drills and pumps they use are made from parts available in the local market.

The organization has also recently began selling their own wines and approximately $7.00 from every bottle goes back to support the efforts. You can find a well curated assortment here to choose from.

Celebrated winemaker, Michel Rolland  also stepped in just six month ago, donating $20 per bottle of his 2003 Bonne Nouvelle from Stellenbosch, South Africa directly to Wine to Water.

Also if you are in New York on May 9th, Wine Enthusiast is throwing one helluva 25th anniversary party at the Hudson Hotel. All ticket sales benefit Wine to Water. As Doc told us, “We were completely shocked they asked us to be involved since we are pretty small and grass roots. To get a phone call from someone so prestigious had me nearly fall out of my chair. We have some special news to unveil that night so buy your tickets!”

Besides his big unveil we asked where he is heading next. “We just added out 15th country, Syria. I was just there helping all the displaced people. They are our newest focus.”

So next time you need to order a case for a party or just to stock up the wine rack, consider ordering from Wine to Water and make a difference in the world while still getting pleasantly toasty.

Cator Sparks
Former Former Digital Trends Contributor, The Manual
Cator Sparks was the Editor-in-Chief of The Manual from its launch in 2012 until 2018. Previously, Cator was covering…
Beginner’s guide to cigar shapes and sizes — and why they matter
Why your cigar choice says more about you than your watch (and how to pick the perfect one)
A collection of cigars

Walking into a cigar shop and facing what seems like a million options is enough to make anyone panic. Cigars stacked everywhere, each with a strange name, size, and a slightly different shape from the last one. If you haven't done this before, it's tempting to just grab something, anything, and run!But hold on a second. Those shapes actually matter. They aren't just there to look fancy or make things confusing. The size and shape change the whole experience of smoking that cigar – how it tastes, burns, and feels. It's kind of like how driving a tiny sports car is way different than driving a big truck. Both get you where you're going, but the experience along the way is not the same.

What are cigar vitolas?

Read more
The writer of one of Netflix’s biggest drama is taking on James Bond next
We still don't know who will star in this new installment.
James Bond at a casino

The news that Denis Villeneuve would be taking on the next James Bond film was certainly exciting for many, and as we continue to speculate about who might take over as 007, we're also learning more about who else will be working behind the scenes on the film.

We now know that Steven Knight, the writer behind Peaky Blinders, will be writing the next Bond movie. While Knight is best known for his work on TV, which includes Peaky Blinders and the recent Stephen Graham series A Thousand Blows, he's also the writer behind Spencer and Maria.

Read more
Every new Game of Thrones spinoff explained
George R.R. Martin's television world continues to grow
Matt Smith starring in House of the Dragon

When it first aired on HBO in the early 2010s, Game of Thrones dazzled audiences with revolutionary special effects and terrific acting in a unique fantasy world. Based on author George R.R. Martin's series of novels, the universe depicts the battles between several different noble families as they try to climb to the top of the continent of Westeros, both politically and figuratively. The war scenes, family drama, and massive number of characters helped make the story feel fresh and new every time a new episode aired.

As Martin's attention shifted to television and away from his books, fans have looked to the TV series to finish some of the stories he couldn't finish on the page. Game of Thrones left fans wanting more, despite its poorly received finale, and a plethora of spinoffs are on the way. House of the Dragon already has two seasons completed, and there are several others in the coming years to look forward to.
House of the Dragon
House of the Dragon finished its second season in 2024. The show chronicles the heated family dynamics of the Targaryen empire almost two centuries before the events of Game of Thrones. The third season should pick up the civil war between Queen Rhaenyra's forces and King Aegon's after a slow-building conflict throughout the second act.

Read more