🥫🤑 Got extra cash? Give it away!

🚴🎉 Want your workout to feel like a party? Enter: The Mawsh Fit Experience, an epic spin class on Nov. 13 from our friends at Rev’d Copley featuring a live DJ set and immersive wall projections. The best part: B-Siders get $10 off with code BSIDE10. Grab tickets here!

👀 What’s on tap today:

Up first…

Got time? Money? Give them away! A lot of folks could use a little extra cheer this giving season. So for this month’s edition of small biz telephone tag, we asked local nonprofits to highlight other local nonprofits that are doing amazing things in their communities.

Here’s what they said:

❤️ Community Cooks loves Somerville Homeless Coalition. Community Cooks taps volunteers to provide nearly 40 local nonprofits with homemade meals, including its first-ever partner, Somerville Homeless Coalition. SHC has provided support to over 4,800 people facing homelessness in its community. “They're there for folks when [they’re] facing probably the biggest challenge of their life,” said Community Cooks director of programs and strategy Kate Berliner. Here’s how to support Community Cooks and Somerville Homeless Coalition.

🫶 The Somerville Homeless Coalition loves Arlington EATS. Their mission: Eliminate food insecurity by providing folks with healthy food. Think: Running a free grocery-store style market where folks can shop, managing a local farmer’s market, and providing snacks to schools. “The dignity in which … people can access their services is amazing,” said SHC director of development Felicity Beal. Here’s how to support Arlington EATS.

🍏 Arlington EATS loves Food Link. Turning would-be food waste into meals for those in need is the name of the game at Food Link, which “rescues” fresh surplus food from grocery stores and redistributes it to local nonprofit orgs (see: 1.6 million pounds of food saved in 2024!). “They’re instrumental in getting food to individuals right now who are relying on SNAP but are not getting it,” said executive director of Arlington EATS Andi Doane. Here’s how to support Food Link.

🎁 Food Link loves FoodForFree. Their name says it all: Last year, they transformed would-be food waste into 50,000 heat-and-eat meals, doled out $476,000 to Cambridge and Somerville public school families to pay for food, and hosted 80+ free farmer’s markets at school pickup a year. “They’re incredibly collaborative and incredibly thoughtful about how to meet different people's needs,” said Rachel Albert, Food Link’s executive director. Here’s how to support FoodForFree.

🤝 FoodForFree loves East Boston Community Soup Kitchen. EBCSK is “a really trusted organization in [its] community,” said Alex Gladwell, FoodForFree’s director of programs and partnerships. It’s a rep they’ve earned from a “constant ability to shift and to listen to what the needs are of the community, she said, whether that’s food distribution, free haircuts, or just social and emotional support. Here’s how to support East Boston Community Soup Kitchen.

🛒 Gov. Healey’s message to SNAP users: Buy the food you need. On Monday, Healey announced that the food benefits program will be fully funded here in Mass., and encouraged recipients to “forget the noise” from President Trump and spend their funds freely. Her comments came after a whirlwind weekend of SNAP developments, which ended with a federal judge blocking Trump from “undoing” the full SNAP payments that went out last week. That said, if the government shutdown actually ends today, this could all be old news by tomorrow. *Sigh*

🏈 Gronk is cementing his place in Pats Nation. At 12:15 p.m., legendary tight end Rob Gronkowski will sign a symbolic one-day contract with the Pats in order to “retire as a Patriot,” fulfilling a wish of his friend, philanthropist Susan Hurley, who recently passed away. ICYMI: After spending his career in New England, Gronk famously un-retired to spend his final two seasons in Tampa Bay. Catch the signing live here. Speaking of local legends: Bruins icon Zdeno Chara (a.k.a. “Big Z”) was inducted into the NHL Hall of Fame this week. Warning: This clip might make you emo.

💸 Mass. state employees make HOW much a year? $11.75 billion, according to this year’s list of the state’s highest paid employees. The UMass system does most of the damage, dolling out $1.62 billion to its employees, including a whopping $2,004,060 to men’s basketball coach Frank Martin, making him the state’s highest paid employee. Other than UMass, agencies like the MBTA and the police department also contributed big chunks of the state’s payroll (see: Train Daddy Eng’s salary). Feeling snoopy? You can peruse the full list here.

🍺 More for your dollar? Try more for your lager. As if you needed another reason for a Market Basket haul: The iconic grocery store now has its own beer. Introducing, the “More for Your Dollar” lager, currently available at all Mass. MB Spirits and MB Beer & Wine locations. The light lager is a collab with Zero Gravity Beer in Burlington, VT, has an appropriately retro label, and, true to its name, is pretty cheap: $12.99 for a 12-pack. As for the taste, think elevated Miller Lite (in a good way!). SOLD.

Below are some of the hottest local things to do. This month, B-Side Members can save more than $150 across our events, in addition to over 60 other awesome perks. 

🏂 Snowbound Expo | Nov. 14-16 | FREE | Menino Convention & Exhibition Center | This weekend is the ultimate winter sports extravaganza, especially if you’re in need of new (up to 70% off) gear! B-Side readers get in for free with code BSIDEFREE. Grab a ticket here!

🍕 Bardo’s Pizza Making | Nov. 18 | 6:00 p.m. | $25 regular, $15 member | Castle Island Southie | Come make your favorite bar pizza with us — we only have 10 spots left for pizza making — and crafts while you wait! Members get $10 off and a free drink. Grab a ticket here.

⚡ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child | Nov. 19 | 7:00 p.m. | Emerson Colonial Theater | $70+ regular, $49 member | Emerson Colonial Theater is hosting B-Side Night on Nov. 19 for the 7 p.m. show. Use the direct link on your perks sheet for a $49 all-in ticket that comes with any drink at the bar.

🏒 Boston Fleet vs. Vancouver | Dec. 3 | 6:00 p.m. | $30+ regular, $25+ member | Agganis Arena | We’re teaming up with pro women’s hockey team Boston Fleet for 15-20% off home games for members, starting with their home opener and their first unity night celebrating women’s empowerment. 

👀 Want to feature your upcoming event above? Click here.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, B-Siders. And we’re not talking about parties for hosting or marshmallows for toasting. We’re talking about the annual lineup of cheesy holiday movies. 

This year’s titles are officially out, and we’re thrilled to report that they are just as wacky as ever. 

There’s "Christmas at the Catnip Café," which is about a marketing executive who finds love after inheriting half of a cat café; “A Pickleball Christmas," about a tennis star who finds love while saving his family's racquet club; and “A Christmas Cookbook," about a woman who joins a festive cooking club … where, yes, she finds love.

But our favorite film of the year? “A Newport Christmas,” set in Newport, Rhode Island(!), which is about a 20th-century socialite who time-travels to present-day Newport and finds love with a sailor. We’re SAT.

Here’s the full list of this year’s holiday movies. 

— Written by Gia Orsino, Emily Schario and Claire Nicholas

🎄 Thanks for reading! That said, nothing will EVER beat 2015’s “The Spirit of Christmas” in Gia’s heart. Here’s the trailer, if you dare.

📲 The results are in: 39% of readers say they already use niche social media apps like Strava, Letterboxd, and Beli. One reader said: “Venmo is the only true social media app.” IYKYK.

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected] or [email protected].