We are all now well aware of the horror that took place on Monday, April 15th at the Boston Marathon: an atrocity in a great city that we have not seen the likes of since 9/11. The effects have been devastating: four people are dead, over 200 more injured and our city is left with the impact of overwhelming emotional distress in the wake of this senseless act of violence and the week that followed.
That was how so many of us felt: “our city”. Big Papi probably said it best in a not-so-eloquent fashion, but he still said what was on all of our hearts. This city is ours, so are the people in it, and now came the time for us to take care of our own. That is exactly what the amazing people at Jack’s Abby Brewing stepped up to do.
Just forty eight hours after a terrorist attack rocked our city, the craft beer community came together in an event to raise money for the victims of the Marathon Day bombings. The idea began with David Carlson at Marshall Wharf Brewing Company and was then organized by Eric Hendler of Jack’s Abby Brewing. Twenty five brewers came forward, each reaching out to Eric asking to participate as all were eager to be involved in supporting this effort. Raffle items came from various vendors “26 gift certificates coming from Craft Beer Cellar, Berman's, Blanchards, Zaftig's, Skybox, Brookline Liquor Mart, as well as a plethora of high end beer including Night Shift, Mystic, Westvleteren, Cantillion, Russion River, and many others.” (according to Jack Hendler) and were quickly donated as soon as requests were made. The out pouring of generosity from so many was simply remarkable.
David Carlson of Marshall Wharf Brewery and Matt Gamble of Clown Shoes Brewing. Photo by Mike Johnson FestPics.com
Paul Sanford of The Tavern in Framingham (hometown of Jack’s Abby Brewery) was contacted and proved more than willing to provide the space for this fund raising event to take place. He even brought on extra staff for the evening to provide service for the massive amount of attendees.
All of the beer was donated and one hundred percent of the proceeds from beer sales and raffle tickets at this event were donated to the One Fund Boston, a charitable fund set up to raise money to help pay for the catastrophic medical expenses that the victims of this bombing were now facing.
I was in attendance the night of this fund raiser. Even though everyone there was enjoying truly fantastic craft beer and the atmosphere seemed light and jovial, there was not a soul there who did not feel personally affected by the tragic events of Marathon Monday. This was very apparent when the room fell silent as the national anthem began playing on the television. As all in attendance started to sing the Star Spangled Banner, an enormous feeling of pride resonated through the crowd. A thunderous cheer erupted with the conclusion of our country’s most treasured song and it was beautiful.
Singing of the National Anthem. Photo by Mike Johnson FestPics.com
So what was it that prompted the people of Jack’s Abby to take action? Did they have any employees who were affected by the attack? No, thank goodness. Did they have friends or loved ones who were injured or present during the bombings? Of course they did. We all did: our city Boston. It’s our city, and we take care of our own. These guys worked as hard as they could and pulled off a huge event that came together in less than twenty four hours and raised over $8,800 for the One Fund Boston.
This amazing effort is a huge tribute to humanity, honor, community and perseverance. Our craft beer community did not hesitate to immediately jump in and take action. There is still so much work to be done as our city continues on the path to recovery, and it’s incredible people like David at Marshall Wharf, Paul at The Tavern, Eric and the staff at Jack’s Abby, all the brewers that donated and everyone who showed up to support the event that will keep Boston on that path. When I asked Jack Hendler of Jack’s Abby why they wanted to take on such an incredible task, he responded “to make people feel better and to start the healing process”. That is what this craft beer community came to do and exactly what happened that evening. There were heroes on the streets of Boston that fateful day, and these guys, through organizing this event, are heroes still.
Jack and his father Paul. Photo by Mike Johnson FestPics.com
Jack’s Abby would like to thank all the breweries that donated beer (listed below), The Tavern, Marshall’s Wharf, all the vendors who donated raffle items and all the attendees who came out and so generously gave.
If you would like to donate to the One Fund Boston please visit www.onefundboston.org/donate.
There will be other events coming to benefit the One Fund Boston. Jack and his crew won’t necessarily be the organizers, but they have told me that other brewers and breweries are planning other fund raisers. Keep an eye out for upcoming events and other ways you can contribute.
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- Allagash Brewing Co
- Atlantic Brewing Co
- Battle Road Brewing Co
- Brash Brewing Co
- Cape Ann Brewing
- Cambridge Brewing Co
- Clown Shoes
- Enlightenment Ale
- Idle Hands
- Ipswich
- Jack’s Abby Brewing
- John Harvard’s Brew House
- Left Hand Brewing
- Mahr’s
- Maine Beer Co
- Marshall Wharf
- Night Shift Brewing
- Oxbow Brewing Co
- Samuel Adams
- Six Point
- Stone Brewing Co
- Tree House Brewing Co
- Tuckerman Brewing Co
- Wormtown
Cheers and Beers,
Lisa, The Hefeweizen Hunny
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APRIL 16, 2013, BOSTON -- In response to the tragic events of yesterday’s Boston Marathon, Craft Beer Cellar has decided to donate more than $1,700 to the victims and their families. During the last two weeks of March, Craft Beer Cellar raised contributions to launch their newest New England location, the Craft Beer Cellar New England Annex in Winchester, Mass. The funds, totaling more than $1,700, were meant to help offset the costs of license applications and remodeling.
In addition to this lump sum, Craft Beer Cellar will be holding a day-long event today that starts at 12 p.m. Doors will be open to the community, brewers, fans, or anyone else looking to gather together, taste some craft beer, grab some nibbles, and to both share grief and respect for anyone affected by the bombings as well as celebrate what makes Boston great: the people. The store will also be offering 10 percent off any beer from the state of Massachusetts today, in support of the strength of our community.
Craft Beer Cellar will also be collecting donations from those who would like to contribute funds to the cause.
“We’re just focusing on the community today,” says co-owner Suzanne Schalow, who is encouraging people to come and work from the store rather than be alone. “We want to open our doors to the public and create a safe haven for anyone who wants one.”
www.nocrapbeer.com
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51 Leonard St Belmont, MA 02478 |
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Over the years, there have been THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS of photos of events, dinners, experiences....well you've seen the photos!
Personally, I believe every photo should tell a story or invoke some emotion from the viewer. They say that "A picture is worth a thousand words." So now we'll be taking the time to write about some of these events, explain what we saw, who we met, etc.. I like that, "A Thousand Words" ...Let's go with that for the Blog Name.
Last year, with over 180 events and over 20,000 photos...I can tell you that there will be no shortage of content!
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