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Brewery supporting Okotoks Food Bank

Hub Town Brewing is donating $10,000 to the Okotoks Food Bank out of proceeds from its Isolation Mug Club, which sold 800 mugs to people worldwide in support of the local organization.
Hub Town Brewery 0032
Hub Town Brewery founders Mark and Lisa Watts created the Isolation Mug Club, selling 800 mugs in support of the Okotoks Food Bank, which will receive $10,000 from the proceeds. (BRENT CALVER/Western Wheel)

Business has never been busier for an Okotoks brewery, and the food bank will benefit from the fruits of its labour.

Hub Town Brewing has been making and delivering beer to its customers throughout the pandemic, and co-owner Lisa Watts came up with an idea in April to bring people together virtually – the Isolation Mug Club.

“It’s basically a global isolation mug club and the idea was anyone from anywhere could buy a mug and be part of our mug club from home,” said Watts. “When we had to close our doors, people would come to get their growlers and they looked really sad. They were just down in the dumps and it was this feeling of we’re stuck at home, life is different, and we thought what a fun way to let people be part of a community from their house.”

She thought they might sell up to 50 mugs at $25 each, but the response was overwhelming. Now, 800 mugs later, Hub Town is donating half of its proceeds - $10,000 – to the Okotoks Food Bank.

Isolation Mug Club members hail from all over Canada, in the United States, the United Kingdom, and as far as Australia and China, she said.

“It’s totally blown our minds,” said Watts. “I never in a million years thought we’d sell 800. And after the 800 were done I still am getting emails and texts and phone calls about wanting to get more.”

She said club members have been sending in photos of themselves using their mugs and looking happy, showing the spark of joy the project has brought in the midst of the pandemic.

It’s been a lot of work. Hub Town takes on every step, right from collecting orders to creating designs (each mug is numbered and personalized), engraving mugs and planning for delivery or shipment, she said.

But she said it’s been worth the extra work to be able to present a substantial donation to the food bank, where she said most people who hit bottom will turn when they’re laid off or struggling to make ends meet.

“The food bank is an obvious place people will go first, that’s a mainstay,” said Watts.

Once the final run of mugs is in the hands of its members, she said there will be a virtual cheers with the Isolation Mug Club as the cheque is presented to the food bank.

“Without the people who were willing to buy the mug we would never have got here, so they have to be part of that opportunity,” said Watts.

Pamela McLean, executive director of the Okotoks Food Bank, said she was "flabbergasted" by the Hub Town initiative. Her husband had bought into the campaign early and has mug #44, and at the time thought he was contributing to a $500 to $1,000 donation.

She said the money will be put into the food bank's coffers, because though hamper and Help Yourself Shelf usage has decreased slightly, the organization is preparing for the storm to hit in the wake of COVID-19, when deferred payments come due and government supports like EI and the 16-week Canada Emergency Response Benefit come to an end.

"A big chunk of that money we are going to stockpile, to put it into our savings to prepare for later this year," said McLean.

Some of the funds may also be put towards purchasing an electric pallet jack to help in the distribution hub at the new Okotoks Food Bank location if grant funding does not come through, she said.

There have been a number of food drives in the community throughout the pandemic, and McLean said she's grateful for every pound of food raised, because at this point it's unclear whether the annual community food drive in the fall, the photos with Santa at the MarketSquare market or the Christmas concert will be able to run.

"Our community will not let their neighbours down," said McLean. "It is tremendous - $10,000, we do not get funds like that very often, and we don't take it lightly.

"I can't wait to give them at least a virtual hug."

Krista Conrad, OkotoksToday.ca

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