Relationship Sours Between Tacoma Beer Fest & Local Non-Profits

We like local beer, and we like local events. We also like local non-profits. So we were sad to hear about a dispute between Tacoma Craft Beer Festival organizers and the non-profits the event was supposed to benefit.

We had heard rumors that this year's Beer Fest had not been as financially successful as hoped, but now on top of that, they're getting a fair amount of bad press over soured relationships with the Pierce County YWCA and Emergency Food Network. Both of the non-profits were supposed to benefit from festival proceeds, but according to King 5, among other sources, they saw only a tiny amount of what was promised - and only saw that after making a pretty big stink.

We're hoping there's more to this story than we know at this point, but if you're looking for a way to help out the non-profits who were counting on Beer Fest donations, the Ram Brewery has stepped up with an offer, as the YWCA shared on their Facebook page last night:

Brewing a generous gift!

After seeing YWCA’s CEO Miriam Barnett and EFN’s Executive Director Helen McGovern on King 5 News sharing the story of how the Craft Beer Festival did not result in hoped for income, The Ram Restaurant & Brewery got creative. With a heart for the community they saw an opportunity to step up by brewing a win/win proposition for both agencies. The RAM will be matching donations of the first $5,000 to EACH agency. Here is where you, our FB fans, can play a part. Donate to: https://ywcapiercecounty.org/online-gifts/ . In the information box please type “RAM Match Fund”. Your gift will be split between the YWCA and EFN but more importantly, it will be matched by the RAM!

Thank you RAM Restaurant & Brewery, for stepping up to create a happy ending to our story. This generosity could not have come at a more crucial time for each agency as the needs continue to increase.

Will we see another Tacoma Craft Beer Fest when all this "brewhaha" has died down? Would you want to?