Nestled in the heart of our Community Center is our very own retail shop, Mort & Shasta. The shop is named after BINA’s first horse, Shasta, and one of our Co-Founder’s fathers, Mort. Mort & Shasta both cherished making true connections with all people and animals, inspiring us at BINA to continue to foster the connection between humans and horses every day. The retail shop named after them is a wonderful vocational and social opportunity for those in our community.

At the Mort & Shasta shop, our participants will be able to learn about working in retail as part of our larger vocational program. They will have the opportunity to learn about and practice: store etiquette, decision-making, working with point-of-sale/being a customer during point-of-sale, selling merchandise and accepting smaller donations, stocking items, completing inventory, effective use of communication and social skills via meeting guests, volunteers, and other participants. Mort & Shasta is completely volunteer driven by those who are 18+; if you are interested in learning more, email us at volunteer@binafarm.org.

Thank you to our sponsors for supporting this program:

Shasta, a sweet chestnut gelding, was born in 1991. Throughout his life, he supported many riders, and eventually found his way to BINA to support therapeutic programs when his owner’s recreational riders had outgrown him. He was a sensitive and gentle horse, who was always in tune with the needs of his riders. Shasta loved ruby red Gatorade and anything sweet. He would stand patiently for as long as was needed while participants learned how to put a halter or bridle on him. He worked with co-founder Terry Snow for many years; she believed he made her a better riding instructor until she retired in 2017. Shasta enjoyed his retirement spending time with his buddies before he passed in 2018.

Mort spent his life in the hospitality world working in the hotel and restaurant industry. He married his Emerson College sweetheart, Bonnie, and they had five children; Mort’s youngest daughter, Coryn, began working with him when she was a teenager, continued throughout college and later became a partner in his hospitality company. Mort’s philanthropic nature inspired Coryn as she observed him offering a hand in anything that made a positive impact in the community. He told Coryn that “if you are not doing your part to make your community stronger, then you are not taking your responsibilities as a positive member of society seriously.” Had Coryn not been inspired by Mort’s philanthropy, she would never have met her husband, Babak. While working to emulate her father in her first fundraising efforts, a friend introduced her to Babak to help. Of course, Mort lent a hand in the first fundraiser Coryn and Babak worked on together in 1995.

Coryn and Babak’s story of doing what matters and making their community stronger continues, along with their wonderful memories of Mort, who passed at age 83 in 2019.