Fall in New England means a lot of things: sweater weather, foliage drives, and — if you ask us — the first bite of a warm apple cider donut. This year, that seasonal favorite is doing double duty. From September 9 through November 10, every order of our seasonal apple cider donuts ordered at Tavern in the Square will help send a dollar to the Play Ball Foundation, supporting middle schoolers in Massachusetts communities who deserve the same shot at being part of a team that we all had growing up.
We’re calling it a partnership because that’s what it is. Tavern in the Square has spent years building its identity around New England – not the postcard version, but the real one: the cities and towns where our teams live, where our regulars are neighbors, and where a Friday night order of donuts can mean something bigger than dessert. Play Ball Foundation gave us a way to put that into action.
Who Play Ball Foundation Is
Founded in Boston in 2006, Play Ball Foundation builds and funds school-based sports leagues for middle school students in under-resourced communities. Rather than running standalone clinics, the foundation embeds athletics directly into schools across 13 Massachusetts Gateway Cities, including Boston, Worcester, Lawrence, New Bedford, Holyoke, Lynn, Salem, Methuen, Chelsea, Taunton, Quincy, Chicopee, and Malden — many of the same communities where Tavern in the Square has served guests for years.
The foundation’s funding goes toward three essentials that keep a season running: coaches (often teachers and school staff who mentor as much as they coach), equipment and uniforms, and transportation so students can actually get to practices and games. For a lot of middle schoolers, that free season of baseball, basketball, soccer, track, volleyball, or wrestling is the first time they’ve been part of a team at all or the first time they’ve had a coach in their corner, and a group of teammates who show up for them.
How the Donut Deal Works
It’s simple by design, because the best community programs usually are. Order an order of apple cider donuts at Tavern in the Square anytime between September 9 and November 10, and we’ll donate $1 of that order to Play Ball Foundation. Bring your favorite people to Tavern. Order dessert. That’s the whole ask.
It’s a small mechanic attached to a genuinely good product – our apple cider donuts are a fall menu feature for a reason – and it turns something guests were already going to order into something that reaches further than the table it’s served at.
Why This One Matters to Us
Tavern in the Square has always tried to be more of a neighborhood spot than a chain, and that only means something if we show up for the neighborhoods we’re actually in. Play Ball Foundation’s work sits at an intersection we care about: kids, community, and the kind of belonging that a team provides, whether that team is on a field or gathered around a table with a plate of donuts in the middle of it.
So this fall, when you order that donut, know it’s doing a little more than satisfying a craving. It’s helping make sure a middle schooler in Worcester or Chelsea or New Bedford gets a jersey, a ride to practice, and a coach who believes in them.
Join Us
Stop by any Tavern in the Square location through November 10, order the apple cider donuts, and be part of it. Follow along on our social channels for updates on the partnership and the impact we’re building together throughout the fall.
Find out more information about Play Ball Foundation.