We hope everyone is safe and healthy. While we realize that Covid-19 has impacted our community members in different ways, we were also forced to hit pause and evaluate how we would move forward. This past spring, Barrel Bag was poised to launch several fun, educational cleanup events. We had six part-time volunteer student interns dedicated to developing programs to support our mission, and we were working with several like-minded businesses on co-branding partnerships. This all came to a halt in March with shelter-in-place, and honestly, we were not sure where we would land when the dust finally settled.
Propelled by the staggering number of new Barrel Bag purchasers and hundreds of new Instagram followers, paired with our concern about the lack of work opportunities for college students and recent grads, we have been inspired to get back to doing what we love.
Nearly 11 weeks later, I can tell you that Barrel Bag is stronger than ever! We feel blessed to be able to give back to the youth that have stood by us and who are the true life-line behind what we do. Thanks to a few private grants, we can employ five awesome summer interns who are working virtually throughout the West Coast and Hawaii.
At a time when we need it most, our team is working to roll out programs that can safely bring our communities back together—even if from a distance. If your organization is interested in collaborating with us for future virtual clean up events, let us know, and we're on board!