By Staff
May 20, 2001
This graduation season, Mitchell Distributing won't be distributing beer to underage graduates but they will be distributing video tapes and literature to put the brakes on teen drinking and drunk driving.
In the fight, the Anheuser-Busch distributor is working directly with retailers to help stop underage sales before they happen with a video tape for retail employees designed to sharpen their skills in properly checking IDs and spotting fake IDs. To help, the company is also distributing an expanded line of "We ID" items and instructional materials designed to help retailers instruct their staff members.
Anheuser-Busch is known as an industry leader in such ad campaigns such as "We All Make A Difference" and other community-based programs such as "Operation ID" and the "Family Talk About Drinking" guidebook, which helps parents talk to their children about drinking.
Anheuser-Busch officials say the effort is paying off. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, since 1982, the percentage of teenagers who report having a drink in the past month is down 47 percent. In addition, Transportation Department statistics show that during that same period, teen drunk-driving fatalities are down 64 percent.
For more information, contact Mitchell Distributing at 482-6161 or visit their Web site at www.beeresponsible.com.