Reducing the spread of germs
From left, posing with the new cylinder, in front are Evelyn Ritchie, Marcella Woods, Judi Hubbard, Gail Salmon and June McDill, and at the back are Penny-Lee Prevost, Gloria Surridge, Foodland Manager Jeff Goulding, Mary Inglis and Ina Henry.   Courtesy photo

RUSSELL – Russell Village Women’s Institute (RVWI) has purchased a sanitizing wipe dispenser for Russell Foodland.

Ever since the RVWI was founded in 1936, the members have worked to promote safe and healthy communities. Their most recent endeavour is to partner with Russell Foodland by donating a sanitary hand towel dispenser to be installed at the entrance doors of the new store. With flu season upon us, this will be helpful in reducing the spread of germs.

This worthwhile project all started with an idea of RVWI’s Rose Coordinator, Gail Salmon, who sent a letter last month to Russell Foodland regarding a safer and cleaner environment for shoppers. She added that according to research, shopping cart handles have more germs than public washrooms. RVWI did their own research and sourced a Canadian-made product to enable customers to clean the cart handles.

The stainless steel cylinder dispenses disposable wipes, pre-saturated with a disinfectant cleaner. The wipes are approved by Health Canada, are lemon-scented and alcohol- and bleach-free. People can wipe their hands, then wipe off the handle of the grocery cart. The dispenser includes a slot below to dispose of used wipes.

It is not possible to avoid all germs, but this will certainly help, especially for anyone who may be at a higher risk.

The RVWI purchased one of these cylinders with the first 2,000 wipes and donated it to the store as a thank you for supporting the community. They also provided information about the cylinder and the wipes and how to re-order.