Massachusetts cannabis retailer Stem Haverhill took over two popular locations on Salisbury Beach Monday September 17 to host its first-annual Beach Bash, which raised $10,000 for Patriots Helping Vets, a non-profit that provides equipment and services to veterans who benefit from plant medicine.
The event, which drew 300 attendees, was held at the Surfside and the Carousel on Salisbury Beach and featured a DJ and dancing, a boardwalk caricature artist, carousel rides, a glam station, an Italian ice station, and local artists and musicians.
The Beach Bash was the last in a trio of events held by Stem this year to benefit its non-profit partners. In August Stem hosted Blast in the Grass, which raised $10,000 for the YWCA Northeastern Massachusetts, and in May Stem hosted Power of Flower, raising $10,000 for the Parabola Center, a non-profit think tank devoted to cannabis policy reform and anti-monopoly regulations.
And next April Stem will host the second Bong and Pong, which will also raise money for local charities.
“Our mission from the beginning has been to provide customers with the best cannabis products on the market while helping worthy charitable organizations bring their vital services to more and more people in the community. The Beach Bash was a great bash indeed, and I couldn’t be happier with the turnout and the money raised to help an organization that does such important work for our veterans,” Stem owner Caroline Pineau said.
Pineau said the Beach Bash and the two preceding events once again highlighted the cannabis community’s commitment to local and regional assistance and charitable causes.
“This may be a young and evolving industry but it’s certainly proving to be a power when it comes to local philanthropy and charity. That’s a testament not just to the industry, but to the entire cannabis community,” Pineau said.
Since opening in 2020, Stem has raised more than $250,000 for local charities. Pineau has also made her mark on the Massachusetts cannabis industry by targeting the unfair collection of community impact fees by host communities when those communities have documented no negative impacts from legal cannabis sales.