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The Gulf Coast’s craft beer industry responded with gusto to the coronavirus pandemic, with many brewers almost immediately shifting to the production of badly needed hand sanitizer. Some breweries gave it away while others sold it in an attempt to keep some revenue flowing while their bar and restaurant clients were shut down.
St. Petersburg’s 3 Daughters Brewing opted to give hand sanitizer away with any purchase of prepackaged beer, cider or hard seltzer at the brewery while its tasting room was closed by government mandate. It also set up a drive-thru where sanitizer was given away completely free of charge, no purchase necessary.
The brewery’s generosity caught the attention of “Kelly & Ryan,” the nationally televised morning talk show hosted by Kelly Ripa and Ryan Seacrest. On May 5, the program featured Leigh Harting, Mike’s wife and the brewery’s co-owner, during its “Helping Heroes” segment.
“One of the core tenets of the business is to give back to the community,” Leigh Harting says during her appearance on “Kelly & Ryan.”
She adds, “When COVID happened and we had to shut everything down … that became our mission, to make [hand sanitizer] and give it away to those in the community who need it.”
That includes first responders, hospital staff and even post office workers, as well as “the people who are stocking the shelves at retailers,” Leigh Harting says.
As a “Helping Hero,” the brewery’s efforts netted it a $5,000 donation, sponsored by payment app Zelle. But instead of keeping the money, 3 Daughters Brewing matched the $5,000 provided by Kelly & Ryan and bought $10,000 in gift cards, in $50 and $100 increments, for local bars, restaurants and grocery stores, and gave them away on social media.
At the end of the “Helping Heroes” segment, Leigh Harting invited Ripa to visit St. Pete. “My in-laws in are in St. Pete Beach,” the host says. “As soon as this is over, I’ll be there; trust me!”
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