In a stressful time of uncertainty and angst, 2 Loons Distillery has put forth an effort to bring comfort to their community in the form of hand sanitizer.
In the days following Governor Jay Inslee’s announcement to suspend school until the end of April, chaos erupted. Stores were swarming, carts packed to the brim with staple home products, like toilet paper and soap, and it wasn’t long before hand sanitizer was completely off the shelves. Meanwhile, Greg and Trish Schwartz, the owners of 2 Loons Distillery, were returning home from a well-timed vacation. “Upon reopening our distillery for the season, our brother-in-law who works for Spokane Fire expressed to us a dire need for hand sanitizer for front line workers in the department,” says Trish Schwartz. “We decided to dive in and do whatever we could.”
The couple did some research and spoke with a few other distilleries. To their great excitement, they had a leftover stockpile of everclear, a high proof alcohol needed to produce the sanitizer, from last year. This meant they were able to get started right away. The Schwartzes made the generous call to not charge for their product, called “2 Loonitizer,” and instead produce what they can with community donations and their own material. To avoid any more shortages on hand sanitizer, 2 Loons Distillery has asked that customers bring in their own bottles and only take what they need (up to 8 ounces), to ensure that the entire community is receiving the product as well. First responders will receive amounts on a case-by-case basis.
Since their decision to produce hand sanitizer, 2 Loons Distillery has made 165 gallons. Many local organizations have benefited already from the availability of sanitizer, such as ambulance services in nearby towns, food banks, post offices, home health care agencies, schools, and the Stevens County emergency service centers. The community has already raised almost two-thirds of the $3,500 goal through their GoFundMe campaign.
Greg and Trish Schwartz are proud to be able to offer support to the town during such an unnerving time. “Without the generous contributions that have been made, funding for all the needed supplies by ourselves could have shut us down,” says the couple. “We will continue to work hard and do the best we can.” 2 Loons Distillery would like to reiterate that proper hand washing, 20 seconds with hot water and soap, is the best way to combat illness.
Donations can be made at the distillery, located at 3950 3rd Avenue in Loon Lake, or on their GoFundMe page at DPGazette.com/2loonshands
Follow 2 Loons Distillery’s Facebook page at facebook.com/2LoonsDistillery for updates on production, hours, and other sources of positivity as the community battles this virus.
