Castle Island’s Fiver Initiative Launches a Legacy in the Local Community
One beer. Five organizations. One year of giving.
Philanthropy has been a core component of Castle Island since the beginning. For years, the brewery ran a program called “Party for a Purpose.” Every month, the Massachusetts-based brewery would host a party in the taproom for a certain local organization. That night, a percentage of all taproom sales would go to a different charitable partner.
Neponset Valley Humane Society: The humane society works with fostering animals in the Neponset area. “They are all self-driven,” says Horgan. “They don’t even have their own space, yet they’re providing a lot for the community.” Horgan is excited to welcome all the new organizations to the program, hoping the brewery can make a difference for each and every one.
Meet a Fiver Partner: Neponset Valley Humane Society
Founded in 1993, Neponset Valley Humane Society has been totally all volunteer and donation-based from the very beginning. The organization works primarily to rescue cats because that’s the biggest issue in the Norwood area.
Their services include: providing foster care for rescue cats, trapping, neutering, and releasing feral cats, running a senior-for-senior program that pairs older cats with folks in senior housing facilities, hosting periodic food drives, and helping to pay medical and veterinary bills for folks who can’t afford it.
For some, like the Neponset Valley Humane Society, who sustain themselves entirely off volunteers and random donations, raising any amount of money will go such a long way. But it’s about more than just the money. “For them, even getting their name out there and being able to say this is who we are has been a really big driving factor for them,” says Horgan. To that end, Castle Island hosted two Meet the Fiver Partners events this year—one in their Norwood taproom and the other in South Boston—that introduced their local community to this year’s Fiver Initiative partners.
“At the kickoffs, we got to introduce ourselves to a lot of people who weren’t familiar with us and got some new followers on to our mailing list,” says Jan Barris, a volunteer with the Neponset Valley Humane Society. “[Castle Island] has been great, super friendly…and they’re all animal lovers!”
According to Barris, donations raised from the Fiver Initiative will most likely be used to fund the veterinarian care they provide. When the organization rescues a cat, it has to be completely vetted, including blood work, neutering if needed, and treating any other ailment the cat may have sustained from living in the elements. “It’s just been a very positive experience for us and one we’re so excited about,” says Barris. “We’re so thankful we were chosen for this initiative. Barris is already looking ahead, hoping to partner with Castle Island to host some events outside in the summer or fall.
