From the Nashville Scene food blog bites:

There’ll be a new brew at some local bars soon, and it’s a beer that aims to make a difference.

 Jubilee Beer, an English-style nut-brown ale making its debut March 12, will contribute 50 percent of profits to Oasis Center, a Nashville nonprofit that assists teens in difficult home situations, according to Jubilee founder Mark Dunkerley.

Dunkerley, a returned Nashvillian, describes the brew as medium bodied, not overly bitter, smooth and flavorful.

The beer will be contract brewed by the award-winning Bluegrass Brewing Company in Louisville, maker of the Bourbon Barrel Stout that first caught Dunkerley’s eye.

The roster of establishments signed up to offer Jubilee so far include many Bites favorites: Whiskey Kitchen, Patterson House, Melrose, Corner Pub Green Hills, Corner Pub in the Woods, Lime, Paradise Park, Virago and, for the thirsty in Williamson County, Wolfgang Puck in Cool Springs. You’re likely to roll up in one or other of those watering holes at some point: supporting a worthy cause will be as easy as ordering a beer.

The Industrial Development Board helped create Oasis Center’s new youth center, Goodwill Industries office space, and local YMCAs, among others. Gail Kerr from the Tennessean has a column today on the Board’s financial troubles:

Metro’s Industrial Development Board is one of those mysterious, terribly boring governmental entities that nobody ever hears about.

Until now. A meeting is set for Friday afternoon to begin a sweeping cleanup of decades-old sloppy practices that left an extraordinary potential for corruption.

The board has the power to issue cheaper tax-exempt revenue bonds to help out private businesses and organizations with building projects that help the public good. State law requires that those loans be approved by a government entity, even though taxpayer money is not at risk.

So in 1959, the Industrial Development Board was born. It is made up of nine members picked by the Metro Council. There are no checks and balances about who goes on there. The mayor has no say. There is no staff except a private attorney who’s been doing it for three decades at the board’s request. He is paid only when those real estate deals close.

Continue reading ‘Metro Board Under Scrutiny Supported Various Nonprofit Programs’

The election takes place on January 22, however, early voting is going on now. For more information, click here.

The Tennessean has a story today on how the nonprofit community is preparing for a possible drop in donations. CNM’s Lewis Lavine, Meg Nugent of Nashville Adult Literacy Council, and Hal Cato of Oasis Center, among others, are cited:

Charities expect drop in donations next year

By Bob Smietana
THE TENNESSEAN

Lewis Lavine has some good news and some bad news for local charities.

The good news is that most of them will make it through the end of the year without much trouble. The bad news? Next year is going to be a bear.

“We believe 2009 will be a very difficult year,” said Lavine, director of the Center for Nonprofit Management in Nashville.

Despite the economic turmoil, local charities say they are holding their own right now. While demand for their services is up, donations have yet to drop dramatically. But some charities fear that donations may fall next year while the need for help grows.

Jaynee Day, of Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee, says requests for food boxes are up almost 10 percent over last year, and most of those requests have come from people who have not needed help until now.

“It’s a tough time for families, who are having to decide between putting food on the table or paying the light bills or the health insurance,” Day said.

Second Harvest, which distributes food in 46 counties, is in the middle of its biggest fundraising campaign of the year.

Now’s the time to prepare for the gathering storm of need, experts say.

Continue reading ‘Tennessean Examines Area Nonprofit Challenges’