SEATTLE — Despite the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses and every day people are making strides in their communities. From Tacoma's cereal delivery man, to Everett's One Man Band, read just a few inspiring stories below!
1. Distillery-made Hand Sanitizer
If you can’t seem to find hand sanitizer for sale anywhere, several distilleries around Western Washington have got you covered. From Seattle's Glass Distillery to Heritage Distilling's 6 tasting rooms across Washington and Oregon, distilleries are using their liquor's byproducts that meet the CDC's 60% alcohol threshold for effectiveness.
2. TP Donation
Cloud Paper, the local tree-free toilet paper maker just donated ten thousand rolls to Food Lifeline -- which will distribute the hot commodity to food banks around the Northwest. Cloud Paper is made from bamboo, which the company says is more sustainable than tissue made from trees.
3. Community Sewing 100 Million Masks
Faye Woo's Signature Collection shifted focus from fashion-design to mask making. Seattle Makers is now creating face shields. Cassandra Western and her three kids have a busy assembly line going of their own. As hospitals across America grapple with a shortage of surgical masks, communities are stepping up to help.
4. Mason County School Lunch Delivery
With schools closed across the state because of the virus, most districts have laid off their bus drivers... but in the North Mason School District, they've become the most valuable employees. Drivers deliver lunches, breakfasts and even books to bus stops, to make sure kids who can't make it to campus still get a meal.
5. Cereal Delivery
For years Kwabi Amoah-Forson has been best known around Tacoma as the guy who drives around in the light blue Peace Bus. His latest passengers? Dozens and dozens of cereal boxes that he's delivering door-to-door for free, to Tacoma kids who may not have access to breakfast.
READ MORE: This Tacoma man is making sure kids in his hometown get breakfast during coronavirus outbreak
6. Free Rice Bowls
At Ba Sa restaurant on Bainbridge Island, which specializes in Vietnamese and Southeast Asian cuisine, business is down by 70%. Now takeout only, they're serving a community rice bowl for just $5. If you can't swing $5, it's free.
7. Restaurant-turned Community Kitchen
Governor Inslee has asked Washington restaurants to either shut down or do "to-go" orders only. One local chef and restaurant owner is taking a slightly different approach... Turning her new Filipino restaurant, Musang on Beacon Hill, into a community kitchen.
8. Online Musical Science Teacher
Since schools are closed, Mikey's day job has shifted. He has decided to take his show online with the help of Kaylee Cole. Mikey and Kaylee started live streaming fun science lessons on Facebook while everyone's stuck at home.
9. Seattle Comedians Spreading Laughs Online
We could all use a good laugh, now more than ever. But with all the comedy clubs shut down for the foreseeable future, we wondered how a few of our favorite local comedians are getting by. They've lost their stage, but they haven't lost their sense of humor.
10. Everett's Entertaining One Man Band
Most people know Eric Haines as the One Man Band -- entertaining people by playing several instruments at the same time. Usually, Eric performs at schools, corporate events, and fairs -- but since Washingtonians have been ordered to stay-at-home, he's performing for a different audience.
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