Photo: The Bedford Life
We asked our makers in what ways have they given back to their communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s what they said...
“Greyston Bakery has been providing brownies and blondies to first responders in and around Yonkers, NY. We provide a weekly sweet treat to those serving on the frontlines.”
Photo: Greyston Bakery
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“Willow & Birch Apothecary donates 5% of all sales to Feeding America. So far, we've helped provide over 500 meals to children and families across the country. I'm so grateful that my work has this ripple effect to help others during this difficult time.”
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“Granting access! And sincerely answering the question: what do I have to offer? I'm sharing more teachings about beeswax and the traditional candle making practice. I'm hosting sliding-scale virtual card readings every friday using my self-published deck, Fourfold the Oracle. A sliding scale payment system is when people can pay what they can -- zero and up. I've carried this sliding scale resource over to my online shop, based on storytelling. As an independent slow-maker of things, I'm lucky to be able to drop the rigidness of the dolla' dolla' bill and allow my work to be where it's needed.”
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“During this difficult time I have come up with an idea to ensure social distancing yet facilitating local connection. I have created virtual Yummy Mindful Knitting Workshops. I teach participants to knit from the comfort and security of their own home!! I provide group Yummy Mindful Knitting Workshops via video conferencing — a virtual knitting class! We can be socially distant and still be connected! I instruct participants each step of the way and they are able to socialize with the other video conference attendees! These virtual workshops have just been featured in The Washington Post and Parade Magazine — check out #37 Yummy Mindful Knitting Workshops! The Yummy DIY Mini Scarf Knitting Kit used in the workshop is available on New York Makers.”
Photo: It's a Yummy
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“At Beekman 1802 we tried to get our community involved in our initiatives much as possible. We had Neighbors (what we call our customers) nominate frontline healthcare workers in their own communities for free ‘Thank You’ gifts, and we ended up sending out almost 3,000 of our luxury lotion and wash caddy sets to workers across the USA. Even though our Beekman 1802 Mercantile in Sharon Springs has been closed for the past two months, we re-focused our store staff to man a separate customer service line so that anyone who was feeling lonely or isolated to call in and speak to a friendly voice. The team fielded up to 20 calls a day to people alone in their homes who needed a little kindness and reassurance. Our Mercantile social media also handles broadcast live “mini-concerts” every Friday night from regional musicians and then allows the musician to choose charities near to their heart and home to which we then donated face wipes, cleansers, and moisturizers in the name of the musician. We even tapped into our own creativity. One of our founders, Josh Kilmer-Purcell, took the ultimate TV comfort food, The Golden Girls, and wrote new scenes of the show as if the Golden Girls were living through the pandemic. Thousands of people started following on Instagram @goldengirlsveryspecialpandemic and some of the former cast members from RuPaul’s Drag Race even started performing some of the scenes. It was a little moment of laughter for the first 50 days of the lockdown, and people were so appreciative of that.”
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“We donated 1,150 Leave No Trace reference tags to our school district; we are LNT Community Partners, and each student in our district was invited to participate in a hiking challenge during spring break. We thought that the reference tags, which list the Seven Principles of LNT, would be a great way to teach the kids how to be responsible hikers and outdoors people.”
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“I volunteer at the food pantry and drive the town shuttle bus for food deliveries twice a month. There are so many families that have been dealing with no income. The Town of Johnsburg depends on tourism and that has pretty much gone away.”
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“Sfoglini has donated nearly 8,000 lbs of pasta to food banks and organizations assisting out of work restaurant employees. Our shipments have gone to New York and as far as California. 1,000 lbs of pasta was donated to St. Joseph's (Los Angeles) in connection with Chef Adam Perry Lang and another 1,000 lbs of pasta went to The Pixie & The Scout in Brooklyn with Food Issues Group to be distributed as ready-to-eat meals and grocery packages to underserved and food-insecure individuals who are impacted during this COVID-19 crisis. We worked with Konbi in Southern California to donate 1,000 lbs of pasta to the Midnight Mission where they have been offering a path to self-sufficiency to men, women, and children of Southern California experiencing homelessness. We sent 1,000 lbs to City Harvest, 1,000 lbs to the Broad Street Ministry along with Michael Solomonov and Laserwolf in Philadelphia, 1,000 lbs to Lee Initiative and Gertie NYC as part of the restaurant workers relief program, We also delivered another 1,800 lbs to the Ulster County Farm and Food Pantry Program.”
Photo: Sfoglini
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“After finally sourcing elusive elastic, we were able to sell 1,000 masks in 3 weeks. When combined with private donations and sales from masks, The Bedford Life raised $2,500 for Meals on Wheels which was matched by a corporate sponsor on “#GivingTuesdayNow. We will continue to donate a portion of our online sales to Meals on Wheels every year.”
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“I knew that shopping for Mother’s Day would be an issue, so I offered 30% off store wide with free shipping.”
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“I reached out to the mayor [of Oneonta] if he needed any assistance for the COVID-19 pandemic.”
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“We have made and donated various masks to our local hospital Vassar Brothers in Poughkeepsie as well as to Cardinal Hayes Home for Children in Millbrook. Additionally we donated to Direct Relief and Amanda Hearst’s initiative “A Common Thread”. Through our online sales we also donated a percentage to Heart-to-Heart International and Global Giving.”
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“I have donated several 50 lb bags of organic rye and corn flour for a local food pantry so they can make bread for members of the community who are in need. We also just opened our tasting room on Saturday in Callicoon NY and had outdoor space only open of course. Everyone was very good about adhering to social distancing. We offered masks to those who didn't have one and gloves to all who wanted a pair too. We have started producing hand sanitizer and offer it free to anyone who comes to the distillery and tasting room.”
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“We have been donating salt gifts to numerous fundraising events during this time. We have also donated salt to local restaurants who are working to feed the under-resourced living here in the Syracuse and Central New York area. In doing so, we have helped raise money for various local and national charities, and supported our local community. We have always tried to do this as much as we can, but it is even more important during the difficult times we are all currently living in.”
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“I have started to film myself painting, and have been posting time lapse painting videos to my social media accounts and email newsletter.”
Photo: Lionheart Graphics
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