After the start of the COVID-19 global pandemic at the beginning of 2020, LRI staff mobilized to create a “hand sanitizer team” in order to produce in-house sanitizer for the Legacy Hospitals should supply become constrained, as was happening with a number of our essential supplies.

Thankfully, Materials Management were able to maintain the supply chain we were not needed. The project team leader, Dr. Barbara Sorg, then had the idea that houseless individuals may have little regular access to soap and water and we should try to donate some hand sanitizer if we could make/buy it.

Mark Gerber in Legacy’s supply chain found that Sherwin-Williams (the paint store!) was donating hand sanitizer and they sent us two separate barrels of 50 gallons each for free.

Through some phone calls, Dr. Sorg contacted Paul Stark at the Joint Office of Homeless Services for Multnomah County; they were organizing several programs across the County to deliver sanitizer to those who needed it most. His program purchased the bottles and most of the stickers for us.

Over 3,000 bottles were filled by hand in an assembly-line fashion by Barb Sorg, Joe Frascella, Danielle Osborne, John Ost, and Carmen Rusinaru, with additional help from Jonathan Anguiano. Robert helped deliver them to the program downtown.

Thanks to all for such a great effort!