We at Upstreet firmly believe that arts are a fundamental part of a strong community. That’s why we take 10% of sales and put it in our Do Good Fund, which supports local arts and culture initiatives. Since January 1st, 2017, The Do Good Fund has supported our community through sponsorships, donations, events, and more.
If you have any questions about the fund, feel free to email us.
Do Good Artist Residency
Launched in 2018, the Do Good Artist Residency was a multidisciplinary artist residency located at the brewery, in partnership with this town is small Inc., PEI’s Artist-Run Centre. The artists were welcomed for a paid three-week residency where they created a new work on site. As part of the residency, they designed a beer recipe with our brewmaster. The artists also designed the label of their custom beer and held open studio hours to welcome the community in to witness their artistic works in progress. At the end of the residency, they held an artist talk to present their work, and launch their beer. Unfortunately, the pandemic brought an end to the residencies, but we will never forget the impact our 5 artists had on our staff and the greater community.
What’s next?
We have something up our sleeve… but we’ll make an announcement in late spring. Check back for updates!
Though Covid 19 has changed the way they celebrated, it couldn’t put a damper on Upstreet’s community spirit for their 5th anniversary.
Upstreet Craft Brewing, a B-Corp certified beverage company located in Charlottetown, ran a campaign called Cheers for Charity PEI in which they asked Islanders to tag charities and organizations that do good in their community. The winner would receive a $5000 donation to the charity of their choice. They had over 50 nominations of well-deserving charities – so many that they decided to expand the prize to include two more donations of $2500.
The $5000 donation was awarded to PEI Family Violence Prevention Services, nominated by McGregor and Currie Jewelry. Danya O’Malley, Executive Director of PEI FVPS highlighted the importance of supporting organizations that rely heavily on fundraising efforts, “We are thrilled to be the winners of Upstreet’s Cheers For CharityPEI contest! This is a timely contribution as certain fundraising avenues are on hold due to Covid19. We appreciate the warm support we receive from the community and our work depends on donations like this. These funds will go directly to front line crisis services for those impacted by violence. This support is felt most by the women and children who use our services.”
A donation of $2500 was also given to the Upper Room Food Bank nominated by Sara Nuesch, and the Canadian Mental Health Association – PEI Chapter nominated by Tessa Rogers.
Executive Director of the Canadian Mental Health Association PEI Chapter Treena Smith says the donation will help the organization in its new shift to offering virtual services.
“We were so pleased to find out that we were nominated and chosen as a recipient for Cheers for Charity PEI. COVID-19 has placed an extraordinary burden on our ability to fundraise, as well as interesting barriers to providing service. This money will go a long way in ensuring that we can continue to create and maintain more virtual means of providing service to people living on Prince Edward Island.”
Upstreet CEO Mitch Cobb says the last few months have been difficult, but being able to pay it forward has helped. “We’re such a community-oriented company, and to have to cancel all of our 5-year anniversary plans because of the pandemic was heartbreaking. Giving $10,000 to Island charities that have helped so many members of our community these past few months has made it easier.”
Media Contact:
Marsha Gallant
Marketing Manager, Upstreet Craft Brewing
T: 902-394-5734 E:marsha@upstreet.ca
Facebook/Twitter/Instagram: @upstreetbrewing
Photo (L to R): Danya O’Malley, Executive Director and Lindsay Merrill, Development Coordinator.
