{"id":86494,"date":"2020-04-15T21:58:18","date_gmt":"2020-04-16T02:58:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/?p=86494"},"modified":"2020-04-16T13:38:24","modified_gmt":"2020-04-16T18:38:24","slug":"lets-get-to-work-yall-the-cocktail-we-never-thought-we-would-need-and-shields-to-fight-the-invisible-enemy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thelocalvoice.net\/oxford\/lets-get-to-work-yall-the-cocktail-we-never-thought-we-would-need-and-shields-to-fight-the-invisible-enemy\/","title":{"rendered":"Let\u2019s Get to Work, Y\u2019all: The Cocktail We Never Thought We Would Need and Shields to Fight The Invisible Enemy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Wonderbird Spirits: Gin to Give <\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought people were just doing it as a PR stunt and had no interest in it for that reason,\u201d said Chand Harlow<\/strong>, one of three owners of Wonderbird Spirits<\/strong> distillery in Taylor, Mississippi<\/strong>. \u201cThen I was on the phone with my friend who is an ENT in New York talking about the outbreak about a month ago. I said, \u2018If you need hand sanitizer, let me know.\u2019 I had no idea it would actually turn into this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It took Wonderbird a minute to get started, following the heels of big-time distilleries like Jim Beam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cThere was originally no guidance, and you couldn\u2019t produce it without a permit,\u201d said Harlow. \u201cWe wanted to get started sooner, but we had to wait until we had the go-ahead.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Wonderbird Spirits is closely following the guidelines established by the World Health Organization (WHO)<\/strong>, which is now giving direction to distilleries on how they can contribute by producing mass quantities of the essential product.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chand Harlow and his wife Nicole (Niett Metals<\/strong><\/a>, Taylor, Mississippi) have been the sole creators of over 1,000 8\u201312 oz bottles of hand sanitizer spray so far, and they haven\u2019t pumped the brakes yet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe wanted to get it into the hands of doctors and restaurants first. Nurses and nursing homes and hospice care have been our focus,\u201d said Harlow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wonderbird Spirits is providing the hand sanitizer in large format to hospitals and medical facilities, child protective services, Highway patrolmen, nursing homes, hospices, and restaurants on a request basis at a large discount, and has fully donated the product to many. The county sheriff\u2019s department has also been a key area they have donated to, ensuring they can protect themselves and those who are helping pass out meals to kids at Lafayette County school pickup locations. Wonderbird donated a large shipment of hand sanitizer to Dr. Rocky Ferrandino, Harlow\u2019s ENT friend in New York, as one of their first pushes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wonderbird Spirits now has its hand sanitizer available to the public on their website <\/a>with 4 oz containers at $6 and 8 oz containers at $9. They are also offering a 10 percent discount on their gin, and both products are available for curbside pickup at their distillery or online shipment (sanitizer only). You can also call to place an order at 662-205-0779.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For those interested in large format purchases for a restaurant, service or medical industry, or front-line position where you are working and still need sanitizer, please reach out via email at info@wonderbirdspirits.com<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Center for Manufacturing Excellence: Engineering Personal Protection Equipment<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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Andy Gossett, a technical support staff member at the UM Haley Barbour Center for Manufacturing Excellence, removes a batch of 3D-printed headbands from one of the facility’s 3D printers. The headbands will be used for face shields by health care workers at Baptist Memorial Hospital-North Mississippi in Oxford during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photo by Kevin Bain\/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Dr. William King<\/strong>, a radiologist at Radiology Associates of Oxford<\/strong>, reached out to the Dean of the Ole Miss Engineering Department<\/strong>, Dean Puleo<\/strong>. He inquired with a unique request: could engineers help protect medical workers and create some personal protective equipment?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Answering the call is the Center for Manufacturing Excellence (CME)<\/strong> and J.D. Williams Library IDEALab<\/strong> have come together to provide over 165 headband shields for Dr. King and his personnel so far, and have a goal of 400. The headbands are reusable and being created on a 3D printer in both the CME\u2019s facilities by Andy Gossett<\/strong>, Mark McAnally<\/strong>, and James McPhail<\/strong> and at the IDEALab by Christina Streeter<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe teamwork had been incredible,\u201d said Scott Kilpatrick<\/strong>, Associate Director of the CME, \u201cI am moved by the effort of Andy Gossett. He has taken it on himself to really get this going, even coming up in the middle of the night to help get things going and be a point of contact throughout production.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Queen\u2019s Reward: Mead for Medics<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s not just distilleries that have joined the effort in producing life-protecting sanitizers for the public. Queen\u2019s Reward<\/strong>, a meadery in Tupelo, Mississippi, has gone to extreme lengths to create hand sanitizers for the public to purchase and to donate to local groups in Tupelo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe got lucky,\u201d said Jeri Carter<\/strong>, owner of Queen\u2019s Reward. \u201cWe were able to get a hold of a still and a steamer from a seller who was sending it to an event that was canceled. On top of that, our permits for the production were able to be received in record-breaking time, less than a week. Which is unheard of. It typically takes a year or so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Queen\u2019s Reward is run primarily by Jeri and her husband, along with a few other part time employees that help run tours, tastings, and the on-site bar, which is currently closed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They have made over 1,500 bottles so far of the sanitizer, with helpful reminders on the labeling such as, \u201cCough into your sleeve\u201d and \u201cKeep a Safe Distance!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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They are providing the 8 oz bottles for $9, or if you bring your own container, for $0.75 an ounce. \u201cWe are worried about making a huge profit, but we do have a lot of cost in this effort,\u201d said Carter. \u201cWe wish we could give it to everyone.\u201d And they are giving it to many\u2014including the box of 125 bottles waiting to be picked up by Tupelo Ambulance Services<\/strong> so that EMTs can keep clean while serving the public. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Visit Queen\u2019s Reward in Tupelo (don\u2019t forget to try a Mead Slushie, available for curbside pickup!), call 662-823-6323 visit online<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Help Yourself and Others: Hand Sanitizer<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

People across the country are banding together to help make facemasks and products to protect friends, loved ones, and strangers in the midst of the widespread pandemic. But what can you do? Why not make your own hand sanitizer?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Housemade Hand Sanitizer Spray (WHO recipe)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

What You Need<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n