From the Department of Many Hands Make Light Work……

Recently, the Rotary Clubs of Manchester-Essex, Gloucester, Rockport and Beverly assisted in delivering Ryan and Wood Hand Sanitizer to deserving folks in the communities.

In March of this year, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bob and Kathy Ryan, owners of Ryan and Wood Distillery in Gloucester, halted their thriving spirits production to focus on making hand sanitizer. The recipe, made from their vodka distillate, hydrogen peroxide and glycerol, came from recommended guidelines set forth by the World Health Organization. Production has been brisk, with each 500 gallon batch disappearing off the shelves as fast as they’re put up. Bob and Kathy have been generously donating to medical facilities and essential organizations. Bob reached out to the area Rotary Clubs to see if they would help get the sanitizer to folks we know of in our communities who could benefit from it.
 
The Manchester-Essex Club concentrated on town offices that are still providing services during the shut-down. In Essex we distributed to the DPW, Fire Department, and Police Department. In Manchester we supplied the DPW, Town Clerk, and the Health Department.

The Beverly Club donated their bottles to Harborlight community Partners, who in turn used it for staff who work directly with tenants in Senior Housing.
 
The Gloucester Club donated their sanitizer to Action Inc., The Open Door food pantry, and SeniorCare Inc.-- three north shore human service agencies continuing to provide services through the crisis.

Rotary is grateful to have community-minded business people, such as Bob and Kathy Ryan, in their midst. Their contributions exemplify our motto “Service above Self”.