holmestead
angels
the
We're building The Holmestead Hideaway on Bequia in St. Vincent and the Grenadines — a nonprofit bar and retreat where every stay, every gathering, and every drink flows back into the island community. Holmestead Angels is the nonprofit behind it all.
Right now, every tax-deductible dollar given here goes toward building this place and serving the people around it. And once the doors open, all net proceeds are split equally between the island community we call home and disaster relief wherever it strikes. The dream and the impact are the same act.
Where paradise
meets purpose.
our mission
Holmestead Angels turns hospitality into help. Through The Holmestead Hideaway — our bar and retreat on Bequia — every gathering, every stay, and every drink funds two things: relief for communities hit by disaster, and lasting investment in the island we call home.
We believe a great experience should do more than feel good. It should leave something behind. That's the whole idea: a place where having a wonderful time and changing real lives are the same act.
and dream...
Live the dream, change the world.
community development
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DISASTER RELIEF
01
Disaster Relief
We're built to show up when disaster strikes — providing essential funding that helps communities not just recover, but come back stronger than before. Hurricanes hit close to home for us, and the Caribbean and coastal communities we love are where our hearts are. We respond in two ways: directly, through our own Angel Boxes, and by funding the established responders who are already on the ground — organizations like World Central Kitchen who get help where it's needed fast. Together, that means a family in crisis gets both a hot meal and a handwritten note.
Our first hands-on program:
Holmestead Angel Boxes
When a storm hits, we send Angel Boxes — a ready-to-ship box of what a family needs in the worst week of their year. Not just supplies, but a handwritten note, a small stuffed animal for a child, coffee, and a reminder that someone, somewhere, packed this with them in mind. You can fund a box, sponsor a shipment, or gather your people and pack them with us. Every box carries the Angels' name to a doorstep that needs it. Fund an Angel Box →
Jobs & Training
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We invest in the long-term success of the island through infrastructure improvements, educational programs, small business grants, and youth development — the kind of work that creates lasting opportunity, not just a one-time fix.
back
For creatives, brands, and artists seeking visuals with depth and atmosphere. These sessions blend refined styling with emotion-led storytelling—perfect for campaigns, lookbooks, or personal branding.
Starting at $950
Editorial
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back
An invitation to see place as story. These sessions document light, texture, and atmosphere—ideal for brands, artists, or collectors seeking a quiet, visual narrative of location and mood.
custom quote
travel
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We hire locally, pay above local standards, and run a working training center on-site. The same world-class bartenders, chefs, and beverage pros who rotate through The Holmestead don't just work a shift — they teach. Islanders learn bartending, hospitality, culinary skills, and leadership directly from the best in the business, then carry those skills into careers far beyond our doors. Real impact means equipping people, not just funding them.
our focus
about us
Holmestead Angels was founded by Angel and Brian Holmes with a simple conviction: that the best way to give is to build something that gives forever.
After decades in the food and beverage world — and one visit to a bar in New York where every dollar went to charity — the idea stopped being something we wanted to visit and became something we knew we were meant to build. The Holmestead Hideaway is the engine. Holmestead Angels is the mission it runs on.
Our approach is rooted in transparency, accountability, and direct community engagement. Because we operate the business that funds the giving, the connection between a guest's experience and a community's recovery is short, visible, and real. You'll know the people your dollars reach.
Brian and Angel Holmes
Founders
Holmestead Angels is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Gifts are tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law.
Board of Directors
Angele Passailaigue Holmes, President
Brian Holmes, Vice-President/Secretary
Bradford Bobbitt Jr, Treasurer
Jill Elaine Forbes
Shawn McCarthy
Want to be part of something meaningful in paradise? There's a place here for you, whether you give once, give monthly, or help build a piece of the place itself. We call the people building this with us Angels — and every angel counts.
Become an Angel— any gift, from $10 up, joins the community building this from the ground up.
Fund an Angel Box — send essentials and hope to a family after a disaster.
Every gift is tax-deductible to the full extent allowed by law. Prefer to talk it through first? We'd love that. Reach us at angel@holmesteadangels.org.
Start a Bar Tab — give monthly and keep The Holmestead moving toward opening day.
Join the Holmestead Hundred — one hundred founding supporters, named as the founders of the place.
Become an annual Friend — the way to belong to the Holmestead family before the doors open, and to be welcomed home once they do. It's not a founding gift; it's a standing place at the bar.
Here's the full Holmestead Hundred Founder's Guide — every way to become part of the story, in one place. Browse the founding levels, the leadership gifts, the naming opportunities, and the Friends of the Holmestead membership, with what each one includes. Download it, take your time, and reach out when you find the place that feels like yours.
Get your guide to giving
We promise to steward every dollar with integrity. We'll communicate openly, share regular progress, celebrate milestones together, and stay accountable to our mission — whether we're acquiring property, building, or serving communities. Every decision is guided by one question: does this bring us closer to a place where hospitality changes lives?