Staff Writer

Drinking a locally brewed beer may make your taste buds happy, but for a limited time it may also help support a local nonprofit organization.

The Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation in Kennebunk will receive a $1 donation from Flatbread in Portland during May for every Allagash beer purchased at the brick oven pizzeria.

“I’m sure we’ve sold a couple of hundred (beers) so far,” said Flatbread owner Bobby Morgan.

The Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation works with scientists and fishermen to gather information on lobsters in the Gulf of Maine to ensure sustainable resources and healthy fishing areas.

But keeping healthy fishing areas can be expensive for both the lobstermen and the foundation.

Erin Pelletier, executive director of the foundation, said donated money will help the foundation run projects and increase the size of existing projects.

This is not the first time Morgan’s restaurant has donated money to the foundation. During fall, Flatbread made a special lobster pizza for the cause. Sales of the pizza raised more than $800.

Pelletier said she never got a chance to eat the lobster pizza, but has gone to the restaurant on Tuesdays to support other nonprofits.

In addition to the special month-long fundraisers, the restaurant contributes a portion of its Tuesday night sales to local nonprofit organizations.

Morgan estimates the restaurant shares between $30,000 and $40,000 with nonprofits every year through these promotions

But he still finds the lobster foundation special.

“I just think they’re doing some really cool things,” Morgan said.

One of the foundation’s biggest projects helps lobstermen convert from floating groundlines to sinking lines to comply with a change in government regulations that reduce the likelihood of whale entanglements.

According to the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation, a full-time lobsterman can spend upward of $5,500 to change fishing gear from floating to sinking groundlines. The cost of maintaining this new gear is also more expensive than the old equipment, according to the foundation’s website.

The foundation also is working on beach and water cleanups. This winter, volunteer fishermen collected lost lobster traps off the ocean floor.

The old traps have caused problems when they get tangled and damage new traps, according to the foundation’s website.

Flatbread will continue the Allagash beer promotion for the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation throughout May.

For more information on the Gulf of Maine Lobster Foundation, visit www.gomlf.org.

Staff Writer Suzanne Hodgson can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 233.