St. Pete BrewFest 2021 Cheers Local Veterans, Military

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) doesn't wait to hit veterans after they stop serving in the military. Symptoms of PTSD usually begin within three months of the traumatic incident, according to National Institute of Mental Health.

Coastal Creative, a St. Petersburg digital media studio, will host St. Pete BrewFest 2021 Saturday in partnership with HOOAH Inc. Mission, a national nonprofit designated to supporting active-duty military members, their families and veterans experiencing mental health challenges.

Supna Doshi, 44, and Zachary Moore, 33, collaborators of Coastal Creative, want to help break the stigma on mental health by giving back all earned BrewFest proceeds to HOOAH.

"HOOAH is helping out our American heroes," Doshi told Patch. "They are 100 percent volunteer national nonprofit. They don't take any funds for any type of overhead, so all of the funds will actually go to support local veterans who are having challenges with anxiety, depression and suicide. The money will stay right here in St. Petersburg to help our veterans. They have a proven track record across the nation of helping veterans with these challenges, and to help veterans stay alive."

According to the Department of Veterans Affairs National Suicide Prevention Annual Report 2020, the veteran suicide rate in Florida in 2018 was significantly higher than the national general population suicide rate.

(The coronavirus disease 2019 COVID-19 pandemic has affected our nation at the societal and individual levels, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs said. Suicide deaths, rates and trends during the COVID-19 pandemic cannot accurately be determined at this point in time.)

Doshi works with the Tampa Bay military veteran communities, and Moore opened Coastal Creative to provide warehouse spaces for artists to perform, film, sing and podcast. When Doshi saw how beneficial the space has been for local artists since its opening earlier this year, she thought it would make a great space to host BrewFest.

St. Pete BrewFest 2021 is open to all at Coastal Creative, 2201 First Ave. S., St. Petersburg.

Cold brews will be flowing from 12 local brewers such as Big Storm, Flying Boast, Cage and P.A.W. Sixteen local vendors will be in attendance like Driftwood CBD, I Am Not So Cool, Hogg Batch Coffee and Spenny Lane. Let's not forget about the tacos made by St. Pete Taco Lady in case you get hungry at the four-hour event. Vegarosa will also be there with its 100 percent plant-based menu. Other food vendors will include Alston's Chicken, Mr. Angie's Hot Dogs and Maggie On The Move. Live music will be performed by Devin Neel and Sam Farmer.

HOOAH representatives will be available for any active-duty military member, veteran or family member of a veteran to answer questions about services.

Asking for help is one of the biggest challenges Doshi said she's seen veterans face, and it's not only exclusive to the veteran community but to the human race.

Moore said that just about everyone in his family has served in the military, except him. He saw the struggles some of them had with PTSD, such as his uncle, and how difficult it was for him to ask for help.

"My sister struggled with PTSD, and she didn't serve in the military, but had a traumatic event happen to her that caused it," Moore said. "It was really hard for her, but when my uncle finally got help for it, he learned coping skills, and then he and my sister started talking to each other about it, and that helped them both."

The BrewFest is one way to bring people together, organizers say.

"As a community, we can give back in little ways everyday to help shine some light on someone's day, whether that be with a smile or letting someone over in traffic," Doshi said.

"I think we're always looking for the big giveback," Doshi said. "And it doesn't have to be big. It can be small. That person on the side of the street that needs a cup of coffee, holding the door open or picking up some trash on the side of the road. We don't have to have really big events or big things to give back. We can give back every day in our own spaces. And I think the pandemic has really shed light on that, and we need more of that in order to build up and make it bigger."

St. Pete BrewFest 2021 is scheduled from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 1, at Coastal Creative, 2201 First Ave. S., St. Pete. Doors for VIP tickets open at 1 p.m.

• General Admission is $25
• VIP for early access is $80

All-you-can-sample tickets allow participants unlimited tastings from the offerings of St. Pete’s breweries, with all proceeds benefiting HOOAH's Pours for a Purpose. This event is sponsored by by Tampa Bay's Accubrew.

For more information about HOOAH, visit its website here.

If you or loved ones are having thoughts of suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or chat online with a counselor here. If you are a veteran, your call can be routed to The Veterans' Crisis Line.