*Updated 6/11 at 2:32 p.m.
Every day, members of our community are stepping up to make a difference. During this unprecedented time, their efforts go an extremely long way. Read on to see how you can get involved or contribute to their causes!
Masks & Gloves
When Barbara Kavchok of Barbara Kavchok Couture read an Italian news story about a local upholstery shop making masks, she thought to herself “I can do that too!” Though her staff is no longer working, she and her mother are busy making surgical masks utilizing the fabric they have left—denim, muslin and even silk scraps. She's estimating to make around 1,000 masks by the end of the week and hopes to supply them to a local hospital. Kavchok explained that most of her bridal fabrics are not suitable for masks—if she is able to get more fabric and elastic, she will continue making more! Right now, she is asking for donations of denim, cotton (non-stretch) and elastic. To donate, email Barbara at barbara@barbarakavchok.com.
SteelCore is utilizing their dance-wear and athleisure fabric in a whole new way! From crushed velvet to organic cotton, they're creating practical and stylish masks for local hospitals. As of May 20, they have made more than 1,500! Once those on the frontlines get what they need, they will be available to the public as well. True to brand, there's no center seam!
Rooted Salon in Allentown had to make the hard decision to temporarily close their doors, but they also made the decision to donate all of their gloves to the medical professionals that need them. Rooted announced on Instagram that their supply would be split between Moravian Village of Bethlehem and a drop-off location for St. Luke's University Health Network. Rooted considered keeping their gloves for when they reopened (knowing how hard it may be to get some again), but they couldn't fathom health care workers and facilities being so short on supply while theirs sit in their cabinet. Salon owner Katelyn Quigney wrote that Rooted's foundation has always been to pay it forward—and trust that when you put good out, it will always be returned.
Hand Sanitizer
The team at Social Still is making hand sanitizer for Lehigh Valley Health Network. Their “Social Sanitizer” was once only available for health care employees and facilities, but is now to available to the public as well.
Christmas City Spirits has donated 27 gallons of bulk sanitizer to St. Luke's University Health Network as well as batches to local fire departments. Click here to donate to the cause.
County Seat Spirits in Easton has created their own hand sanitizer available to the public. Head to their Easton tasting room with a ready-to-fill container! At this time, they are offering four ounces per person per day.
Kilimanjaro Distillery's Xplorer Spirits created 4-oz. and 64-oz. bottles of hand sanitizer that are available to the public for purchase. They're available for contactless curbside pick-up at the distillery during business hours. Delivery is also available within 30 miles of Allentown. Reserve your bottles by messaging them on Facebook.
Click here to read about how Eight Oaks Farm Distillery and Taylor Made Polish helped launch the hand sanitizer initiative.
Meals
Pat's Pizza & Bistro in Bethlehem is stepping up to help feed the community in a few ways. First, they donated 200 hot and nutritious meals to the Bethlehem Area School District for kids that depend on it. Then, they launched “Pay it Forward Bethlehem”: a program where for every $50 with of gift cards purchased, they will donate one pizza to various health care locations around the Valley. Gift card sales are calculated at the end of each week. If you'd like to donate, call them at 610.419.8100.
McCarthy's Red Stag Pub has decided to support those in need by serving their delicious cream of potato soup for free. This will be available daily from noon to 7 p.m., until they run out. Note: They currently have 720 pounds of potatoes! To place your order, call 610.861.7631 and they'll put your name on the bag to be picked up in front of their red door.
Stop by Fountain Hill Police Station's Borough Hall to drop off or pick up a non-perishable food item. The station is encouraging locals to head up one at a time—and to wipe off the cans when arriving safely home. The police station is are also showing compassion by not enforcing some of the parking violations in the Borough until things get back to normal. (They will be ticketing vehicles that may cause a hazard or an unsafe condition for their residents, so park smart!)
Ever since moving their restaurant to Downtown Easton, Aman's Indian Bistro has been donating meals to the residents of Safe Harbor on a regular basis. They are now ramping that up by donating a portion of their daily sales to local food banks and organizations in the area. They want to make sure that people #KeepCalmAndCurryOn during this difficult time.
For every meal purchased, Cactus Blue Mexican Restaurant is donating a meal to Second Harvest Food Bank. Support a local business, order a delicious meal for your family and know that someone else in need will be enjoying one too.
Cast iron cookware manufacturer in Allentown, Stargazer Cast Iron donated 10 percent of its online sales to local restaurants. Ten percent of online purchases made through April 25 were divided equally between three Lehigh Valley restaurants: Bolete, The Bayou and Union and Finch. Currently, each of these restaurants will be giving away one Stargazer Cast Iron skillet per week to one lucky random curbside customer as a thank you for their support.
Because Durham Springs' banquet kitchen is not being used, they offered it to any group looking for a kitchen to provide meals to those in need. Partnering with Youth and Community (PYC) took them up on their offer and has been able to cook 400 meals to be donated to community heroes.
Technology
In a time of extreme social distancing, Victaulic (headquartered in Easton) is working to connect people with technology. After learning that many teens and families have been isolated in apartments without any communication devices, Victaulic worked to clean and refurbish 22 laptops to donate to Valley Youth House (VYH) on Monday, April 6. Victaulic's IT Manager George Vongas worked hard to make these laptops usable for VYH recipients. Since 2015, Victaulic has provided 138 laptops (valued at $17,250) to VYH, many of which are shared with The Synergy Project, a street outreach program designed to help runaway, homeless, nomadic and street youth under the age of 21.
*It is our goal to provide the Style audience with a comprehensive list. If we missed your local business's charitable contributions, please email info to editor@lehighvalleystyle.com.
