Urban South Brewery donates hand sanitizer to more than 150 public schools in Louisiana

Urban South Brewery, New Orleans’ largest craft brewery, recently donated a bottle of hand sanitizer to every public school teacher in Orleans and Jefferson Parish in Louisiana. The brewery began producing hand sanitizer during citywide bar and restaurant shutdowns due to the pandemic, and has donated a portion of its remaining supply to more than 150 public schools in NOLA Public Schools District and Jefferson Parish Schools District. Though students won’t be returning to the classroom this month, teachers and other staff members are back finalizing plans for distance learning. 

“Throughout these challenging and unprecedented times, Urban South has worked hard to contribute to our community in any way possible,” said Jacob Landry, founder of Urban South Brewery. “We are proud to support the public school districts in our area and promote the health and safety of the teachers and staff who are working tirelessly preparing for schools to reopen and students to return.”

Beginning in April, Urban South Brewery began producing hand sanitizer after winning a bid for the State of Louisiana Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. The brewery saw an opportunity to keep its team employed and working, using its capabilities to instead bottle hand sanitizer amid a nationwide shortage. In addition to the 50,000 bottles of hand sanitizer for the State of Louisiana, Urban South received orders for more than 70,000 bottles of hand sanitizer from local hospitals, grocery stores, nursing homes and other small businesses. The brewery has also been offering a variety of hand sanitizer options available for purchase through its online store. 

“NOLA-PS thanks Urban South for their generous donation of 3,600 hand sanitizers for our teachers,” said NOLA Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis, Jr. “These hand sanitizers were distributed to each of our schools, along with other vital district-purchased PPE supplies. Urban South’s donation contributes greatly to the District’s efforts to keep schools safe. On behalf of the District, thank you!”