Photo by Leslie Landrigan

When the COVID-19 pandemic created a shortage of small bottles of hand sanitizer, Maine Camp Outfitters and the Island Health & Wellness Foundation stepped in.

For years, Andy Fuller has been giving away small spray bottles of hand sanitizer to his customers with the name of his company, Maine Camp Outfitters, printed on the side.

One of his suppliers made a couple thousand for him and gave him a discount, Fuller said in a phone interview.

But then with the COVID-19 outbreak his promotional item became a hot—and scarce—commodity. “I’ve had four or five people who want to buy them, and they can’t get them,” Fuller said. “It’s business-to-business only.” Fuller gave his hand sanitizer to organizations that could use them: Healthy Island Project, where volunteers deliver lunches to people, and Burnt Cove Market, where employees come into contact with the public.

Island Health & Wellness Foundation Executive Director Anne West decided to spread the disinfecting wealth as well.

But then she found out just how hard it is to find a supplier for small-sized bottles of hand-sanitizer.

“We wanted it to be portable,” West said in a phone interview. “When you’re home you can wash your hands, you can’t do it when you’re out and about.”

She got some help from Ben Pitt at Burnt Cove Market. He put her in touch with a Maine supplier from whom West ordered 500 bottles.

Now, if you pick up a prescription at Seaside Pharmacy, you’ll get a free travel-size bottle of hand sanitizer, compliments of the Island Wellness Foundation. You’ll also get a caring message: “We care about you and your health.”

“People were feeling really isolated,” West said. “We wanted to show we really miss our neighbors.”