The New Normal in California #3: Ordinary People Doing Amazing Things

In this episode (taped April 19), we’re talking with a couple of everyday people who are doing amazing things in this New Normal -- and got their local communities to step up by offering volunteer time, skills and financial support.

First up: Cris Stellar, owner of Dry Diggins Distillery, who pivoted from brewing spirits for cocktails to making hand sanitizers and disinfectant sprays for California medical and law-enforcement workers.

In the second half, Alan Puccinelli talks about his Operation Shields Up, an organization entirely run and funded by volunteers to make protective face shields for hospital workers, first for Sacramento-area hospitals and now nationwide.

Listen to Stellar and Puccinelli explain how and why they’re doing these altruistic efforts, what they’ve learned along the way, and how you can help out, too.

NOTES:
* Cris Stellar says ramped-up production of his sanitizing products means he can now start providing them to workers in elder-care facilities and nursing homes. If you're one of those, or know workers in that area, contact Stellar by phone at (530) 313-4000 or email [email protected]

* Operation Shields Up still needs help in various ways. Find out how you can lend support at its website - www.opshieldsup.org

PODCAST PLAY-BY-PLAY

Part One: Cris Stellar
* 2:30 min - Intro to this episode, and to Stellar
* 5:10 min - How Dry Diggings switched from spirits to hand sanitizer
* 7:10 min - How Stellar made sure his new products were legit and good enough for medical workers
* 9:35 min - So how do you make hand sanitizer anyway? (Hint: what you're making at home probably isn't the right type)
* 11:45 min - Who he started giving these products to, and who he has added on along the way
* 16:30 min - Where the community stepped up to support - and why three gallons of glycerine was so crucial
* 20:15 min - So can we all buy Dry Diggins sanitizer spray along with our bottle of gin at the tasting room in the future?
* 24:05 min - What Stellar has learned in the past few weeks since the pandemic started

Part Two: Alan Puccinelli
* 27:55 min - Puccinelli explains what he did post-pandemic, and what he started a month ago
* 32:15 min - Who uses the shields he makes, and how he guarantees that they meet the safety requirements needed for frontline workers
* 36:50 min - What it takes, in plain English, to make a face shield, and how one maker multiplied to two, to four, to a community effort
* 43:05 min - Where Puccinelli still needs help, "because we're still feeding a bottomless pit"
* 46:25 min - And how he keeps his health and sanity while creating 1,000 shields a day
* 49 min - Will Operation Shields Up still be up when the pandemic is called over?
* 56:25 min - What Puccinelli has learned personally and professionally since he started his efforts