By Ashley M. Casey

Associate Editor

While many people have chosen to vote by mail this year, voters who head to the polls in person can take comfort in knowing hand sanitizer is available at polling places across New York State thanks to Anheuser-Busch.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Anheuser-Busch’s Baldwinsville and Los Angeles breweries have turned to producing hand sanitizer. This spring, Anheuser-Busch donated 500,000 8-ounce bottles of hand sanitizer to emergency management agencies, food banks, and healthcare providers across 20 states and in the District of Columbia. For the 2020 general election season, Anheuser-Busch has donated an additional 8 million ounces  of hand sanitizer to election offices across the United States.

“At Anheuser-Busch, we like to say that ‘beer is bipartisan,’ and these donations are part of our Brew Democracy initiative to ensure voters and election workers feel safe at the polls. As a leading U.S. employer, we remain committed to uniting our communities, strengthening our democracy and encouraging even greater participation in the political process,” said Bryan Sullivan, General Manager of Anheuser-Busch’s Baldwinsville Brewery.

Baldwinsville-area state legislators applauded the company for its donation, which is part of a collaboration with the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED), the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

“Anheuser-Busch continues to be an outstanding corporate citizen and represents our community in a positive light,” said Assembly Minority Leader William Barclay. “I applaud their initiative in manufacturing and donating hand sanitizer to help make Election Day safer for voters. I am proud to have Anheuser-Busch in my district.”

“Anheuser-Busch demonstrated their commitment to the community by adjusting their production to meet the needs of polling locations and election offices during the pandemic,” said Assemblyman William Magnarelli. “These donations show Anheuser-Busch’s leadership in the community and commitment to civic engagement.”

After producing the hand sanitizer in Baldwinsville and Los Angeles, Anheuser-Busch partnered with wholesalers Saratoga Eagle Sales & Service, Clare Rose, and Lake Beverage Corporation to deliver the sanitizer to polling places across the nation.

Sullivan said the polling place hand sanitizer is the latest measure in Anheuser-Busch’s contribution to the fight against COVID-19.

“This pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges for communities, governments and businesses across the world. Nearly every industry has been impacted. In response to COVID-19 in the U.S., we were able to leverage learnings from our other markets around the world to move early and quickly to shift our focus to three key priorities: protecting our employees, supporting our communities, and protecting our supply chain,” Sullivan said.

In addition to distributing more than half a million bottles of hand sanitizer across the U.S. earlier this year, Anheuser-Busch also has partnered with the American Red Cross and sports leagues to host more than 50 blood drives in stadiums across the country. The company also partnered with the U.S. Bartenders Guild, the James Beard Foundation and others, to donate $2 million to support bar and restaurant workers who have found themselves out of a job.

While some Anheuser-Busch employees have been able to work remotely, the company has enacted protocols for extensive screening, cleaning and social distancing for its workers who still must show up to their facilities.

“We have a number of business-critical employees who are needed on-site to maintain the integrity of the supply chain. At our facilities across the country, we have implemented a number of precautionary measures that go above and beyond CDC recommendations,” Sullivan said. “We have also temporarily increased pay for our employees that work on the front lines of our business. In addition, all of our full-time employees are being provided the option of additional paid leave to address COVID-19 related illness.”