Mannequin hosts Beer, BBQ & Bach fundraiser

Beer, BBQ & Bach, Mannequin’s second-annual yearly fundraiser to raise rent money for the charity boutique, will take place October 22.
 
“The thought behind it is, if it takes a village to raise a child, it takes my friends to raise my rent,” says Moe Rouse, the boutique’s founder. “Last year, it raised a lot more—it paid for the utilities—and I pay for the one paid position in the shop, so we can say really truly that every penny of sales goes to our seven charities.”
 
Since the boutique’s opening in 2011, Rouse says the store has generated about $50,000 per year, so UCan, Lighthouse Youth Services, the Freestore Foodbank, First Step Home, Caracole, Tender Mercies and Wesley Chapel Mission Center each come away with about $7,000 annually.
 
Though Beer, BBQ & Bach is a fundraiser for rent, Rouse says it’s ultimately a way to support the charities.
 
“Are they in fact paying my rent, or in fact giving money to the charities?” Rouse says. “It’s an idea that allows more money to go to the charities.”
 
And it’s through “a juxtaposition of things you wouldn’t expect,” she says. “It will take place at Rhinegeist—a factory that goes back to the 1800s—with this quartet playing Bach, and then people stuffing their faces with Eli’s Barbeque and Rhinegeist beer.” 

Do Good:

•    Stop by Mannequin, and ask for an invitation to attend Beer, BBQ & Bach.

•    Call 513-378-2620 if you're interested in volunteering at Mannequin. 

•    Donate your gently used items to the boutique, or stop by to shop.