As the philanthropic arm of the Harpoon Brewery, Harpoon Helps's mission is to support local charities throughout New England by donating items and many hours of volunteering. For many years, Harpoon Helps has sent volunteers (this year's troop pictured above) to decorate the Atrium of the Harriet Tubman House to highlight the festiveness of the holiday season much to the delight of USES staff and participants.  Merrill Maloney and Mike Paone from Harpoon tell us more about Harpoon Helps and what they do. 

How did Harpoon Helps get started?  What's the idea/mission behind what you do?

Merrill - "The Harpoon Helps program came to fruition in 2003. [T]he 'Harpoon Helps' name put it all under one roof and it enabled [our brewery] to focus more intently on expanding our role within the community.  Our mission is to support local charities throughout New England with donations of fresh Harpoon beer and volunteer hours, and by raising thousands of dollars through Harpoon events to aid their efforts. Each year, Harpoon donates thousands of dollars in merchandise and many barrels of beer to New England charities, and every month we invite Friends of Harpoon and Harpoon employees to participate in Harpoon Helps missions."

What made you choose USES for Harpoon Helps?

Mike - "USES has a great mission statement on helping people of all ages and all walks of life. An organization that reaches so many people, is certainly worthy of some Holiday Cheer to brighten everybody's spirits."

Merrill - "We have been visiting USES for many years now during our largest volunteer opportunity of the year, Harpoon Helps Spread Holiday Cheer. This year's event was the 9th annual Spread Holiday Cheer, where we decorated 40 homeless shelters and local community non-profits for the holidays, USES being one of them!  We've also donated in-kind product and merchandise for USES to offer at their fundraising events and to auction off and benefit their programming.  Lastly, we've been attending and pouring our beer at USES' Brewers Helping Neighbors event, and are looking forward to the 4th annual in 2013!"

Tell us about your most memorable experience working with Harpoon Helps.

Mike - "My most memorable experience was the Troop Supply Drive we hosted at the brewery. Friends of Harpoon came to the brewery and donated items for our troops overseas. The show of support was overwhelming and exceeded our expectations. I have friends and family that are veterans and currently serving in the armed forces; the show of support was great to see."

Merrill - "As the manager of Harpoon Helps, I have many fond memories of Harpoon Helps activities, from our Harpoon Helps Beer-B-Q which supports the Greater Boston Food Bank, to our Troop Supply Drive where we send care packages to those members of our armed forces who are serving overseas, but one of my favorite memories was my first year participating in Spread Holiday Cheer in 2008. It was amazing to work beside my colleagues and our customers, and feel their support for our brewery and Harpoon Helps. It was wonderful to meet folks that wouldn't normally have festive decorations to enjoy during the holiday season, to facilitate making that happen for them, and to see the impact we made firsthand."