WACO, Texas — Cars lined up 19 blocks down Franklin Avenue in Waco on Saturday for hand sanitizer.
Balcones Distilling, which began making hand sanitizer during the coronavirus pandemic, began distributing the sanitizer to the general public Saturday.
"This allows us to get those products like hydrogen peroxide and bottles and large gallon buckets so we can continue," Balcones retail operations director Eric Kukla said. "We're not done helping the first responders."
The famous Waco distillery has donated its sanitizer to first responders across the state but Saturday was the first time people could get a bottle themselves. Kukla said they had 2,500 bottles of sanitizer to give or sell.
Each car got two free bottles and could buy up to two more for $2 each, with that money covering the cost of making the bottle and allowing Balcones to buy the products to make more, Kukla said.
"The general public needs it just as much as the first responders do," Kukla said. "We are communities. We were born in Waco, we are Waco, so we wanted to make sure that not only are we giving it to the first responders on the front lines fighting this, but the people who have supported us."
The distillery was also offering its traditional whisky and rum for $10 off each bottle.
Kukla said they plan to continue making sanitizer for as long as its needed during this pandemic.
"It feels great to be able to give to the first responders," Kukla said. "....But, at the same time, it's very tough to answer the phone and tell people who want it for individual needs, 'Sorry, we don't have this product at this time.'"
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