KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) — Kalamazoo College has received a $5.25 million gift in support of its Brighter Light Campaign from alumnus and founder of Bell’s Brewery, Inc. Larry Bell, class of 1980.

The donation will help establish endowed funds to support the center for Environmental Stewardship, a distinguished chair in American history and the food justice and sustainability program. The college said additional funds will also go to support the Larry J. Bell ’80 Endowed Scholarship, which was established in 2017, and the Kalamazoo College Fund, which provides immediate funding toward financial aid and student experiences.

“I am proud to support Kalamazoo College with this gift and I look forward to seeing the resulting positive outcomes for K’s students,” Bell said in a press release. “I hope that the coming Larry J. Bell Library Foundation can be a help and resource to the history department in the future, and having an endowed chair there will elevate and strengthen this part of the College.”

Kalamazoo College said Bell has always been an active supporter of the school. His funding to support the college’s food justice initiatives has been crucial to the school’s student-led programming through the Mary Jane Underwood Stryker Center for Civic Engagement. It has allowed the center to maximize the impact of this programming in the Kalamazoo community.

“…We are so grateful for Larry’s generous support and commitment toward expanding opportunities and access for our students,” President Jorge G. Gonzalez said in a press release.