Enjoying a cold beer can help support people served by the United Way City of Kawartha Lakes (United Way CKL).
United Way CKL has teamed up with Boshkung Brewing Company of Minden with the hopes of brewing up a successful fundraiser.
Emily Beall, co-executive director of United Way CKL, told kawarthaNOW about the new venture for the organization that strives to build a strong community and improve lives in the City of Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County.
“There are other United Way locations in Ontario partnering with local breweries for fundraising, so we hopped onto the trend and reached out to Mathew Renda of Boshkung Brewing,” Beall said.
“We had a proposition to create a collaborative beer and (Renda) was on board straight away, and even enhanced what we had envisioned by allowing this fundraiser to run all year long. They are great supporters of community initiatives, so the partnership came together swiftly.”
Called “Paddle with Purpose,” money generated from sales of the brew will help support United Way’s local programs and services. United Way CKL said in a social media post that it’s “brewing up something really exciting and undeniably tasty.”
“This is a very different avenue of fundraising for us, but we have to be creative and flexible as the nature of giving is changing,” Beall noted. “This also allows us to reach folks that are maybe otherwise unaware of what United Way CKL does in both Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County.”
“Purchasing Paddle with Purpose is an investment into the health of our local communities. The mission of United Way CKL is to build a strong community and improve lives in Haliburton and Kawartha Lakes and now folks can contribute to that mission with something as modest as purchasing from a great local business like Boshkung.”
“This campaign will allow us to tackle complex social issues in Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton County such as food insecurity, supports for at-risk youth, lack of transportation (services) and mental health.”
United Way CKL provides funding for community services and programs and also runs Edwin Binney’s Community Farm & Education Centre in Lindsay to alleviate food insecurity.
The campaign runs through until May 2025, with the hopes of expanding that timeline, Beall noted.
“We have an expectation and a commitment to ensure that there is a tangible and long-lasting impact of Paddle with Purpose. The more funds that we can generate through Paddle with Purpose, the more we can invest in the communities we support,” Beall said.
Boshkung Brewing Company is a small batch brewery “focused on cottage living, local fare and great tasting beer.” The brewery will be donating $0.50 from each can of Paddle with Purpose sold for the next several months.
Described as a “cottage country light lager,” Paddle with Purpose is a session beer, meaning it has a relatively low alcohol-by-volume at 3.7 per cent.
The beer can be purchased in person at Boshkung Social, located at 20 Water St. in Minden, and at Boshkung Smokehouse, located at 1095 Redkenn Rd. in Haliburton. It is also available for home delivery by ordering online at tinyurl.com/5exyr23m.
