THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC PLUNGED
America into the worst public health and
economic crises in living memory. As
businesses large and small shuttered,
or transformed in record time to stay
afloat, hospitals became overcrowded,
supplies dwindled, and millions of
people retreated to mandated isolation,
corporations in every industry confronted
the enormity of the situation.
This demanded a great deal of
introspection from corporate leaders.
How could they ensure the safety of
employees and customers in this new
world? How could they help their
communities and the people on the
front lines of the pandemic? For many,
it came down to a simple tenet: Do good,
wherever you can.
“When doing good is something that
is ingrained in the culture, something
that the team feels empowered to do,
it’s amazing to watch not only the col-
lective good that comes from that, but
the meaning and purpose it brings to
the team—especially now,” says Amy
Lukken, joyologist and head of philan-
thropy at Austin, Texas–based vodka
brand Tito’s Handmade Vodka.
Across the nation, the philanthropic
responses to COVID-19 have shown
corporate America at its best. In fact,
seven in 10 U.S. corporate funders in-
creased their charitable contributions in
response to the coronavirus pandemic,
according to a recent report from the
Charities Aid Foundation of America.
From local giving and food drives to
the development of diagnostics and
vaccines to pivoting production lines to
make personal protective equipment,
corporate philanthropy and action have
been widespread and agile.
In March, as the world scrambled to
find ways to prevent the spread of the
virus, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and
Trade Bureau authorized the produc-
tion of ethanol-based hand sanitizers
by permitted spirits distillers. Tito’s
stepped up to redeploy a portion of its
distillery production lines to manufac-
ture a much-needed supply, as well as
to distribute it to communities in need.
To date, the company has donated moreSPONSORED CONTENTLEADING BY
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