Lemons into Clean Water Lemonade
As we round the corner into fall, the Fourth of July feels like ages ago. Our aches and pains have subsided and we’ve caught up on sleep from our epic efforts supporting the National Fourth of July Celebration on the National Mall…. but the work has hardly stopped for us. And since the celebration, RGI has been working tirelessly behind the scenes in a hurculean effort to support our city, donating linventory that went unsold at the event to providing clean drinking water and supplement food pantries across town for the D.C. community in this unprecedented time of income, housing, and food insecurity.
This purpose of our work here at RGI is to support and strategize for our clients as they advance their organizational agendas through planning and executing mission-oriented events. There is immense satisfaction we gain through this work. After months, and sometimes years, of planning, we deliver an end product that serves a purpose greater than beautiful tablescapes or quality production (although we love those things too). The events we produce always have an end goal that benefits the community at large; this is where we find our motivation.
In November of last year, RGI won an unprecedented 10-year contract for Food + Beverage and Event Services for the National Park Service (NPS). Since initiation of the contract in January, we have created a first-of-its-kind food truck program for the parks in the National Capital Region - and are also tasked with coordination, support and execution services for marquee programing in these parks including nationally facing festivals such as the Cherry Blossom Festival, the Fourth of July, and Inauguration. In a typical year, these iconic events bring visitors from around the globe and can draw crowds in the hundreds of thousands.
At the start of the year, when “coronavirus” was not yet in our everyday vocabulary, the RGI team was deep in planning for the Fourth of July. RGI’s m.o. is pushing the status quo so we had big plans for a complete modernazation overhaul of the food and beverage service at the event - one that would add to the attendee experience while highlighting local artisan restaurants, breweries, vineyards and food trucks. In the works were a myriad of high flying plans including a full-scale beer garden and wine tasting picnic area in Constitution Gardens and a partnerships for the creation of an outdoor marketplace serviced by D.C.’s most loved restaurants and food trucks.
Three months later, plans had drastically changed. With the country in quarantine and the events industry shuttered, our Fourth of July plans ground to a halt. Come June, when the Administration announced they would move forward with fireworks on the Mall, we found ourselves in a difficult position.
RGI had not produced a live event since February, and had already sustained heavy losses to the tune of upwards of $2 million in expected revenue (which is still climbing as of today). We had begun to lay off staff and the Fourth of July had potential to be a desperately needed source of revenue. But our challenge was: how do we protect the financial security of the company while keeping our guests safe, AND living up to the expectations of NPS and the commitments in our contract?
We got to work with NPS and estimated, as conservatively as possible, how many people would attend the celebration, trying to limit the amount of inventory RGI would need to front load. Opting for open air, grab and go kiosks, stocked with the bare essentials, which would limit crowding - and of course LOTS of PPE.
Ultimately, many D.C. residents – and tourists who usually flock to the District at that time of year – decided to stay home. While this was certainly a win for public safety, one we whole heartedly support, RGI was left with thousands of unsold water bottles in a time when the company cannot afford excess expenditures.
Months of preparation and excitement turned to disappointment through what was a devastating blow. Yet, we knew we were not alone in our worry and frustration. While the events industry has struggled en mass, unemployment and homelessness have reached scary highs, and non-profits have withered amidst funding shortages and layoffs. As company born and built in the District, helmed by a woman fiercely proud to have been brought up in this area, RGI felt a responsibility to step up to the plate and give back to the city we love.
With 6 16x8 storage containers filled with 22 palettes water now on our hands, we realized we had an opportunity to help tens of thousands of our District’s residents. We mobilized staff to begin outreach to organizations we knew would best benefit from this surplus. Since July, RGI has partnered with nearly a dozen organizations including So Others Might Eat, Thrive DC, Capital Area Food Bank, Pope Francis Outreach Center, DC Central Kitchen and DC Public Library to bring water to over 30,000 people.
In more normal times, water is an essential need and a high priority for food banks, donation centers, and non-profit organizations, but now more than ever – as D.C. residents face a pandemic that has taken many out of work or out of their homes – these water donations are vital to keep our community safe.
“The donation will make a big difference to our center. Think how appreciative they will be, especially receiving bottles of water. They will be grateful for the extra item. You have been a blessing... - Pope Francis Outreach Center”
The organizations we have partnered with are down on funds and volunteer staff which has caused a widespread shortage of supplies and resources. Without donations, the burden to purchase water would fall to the organizations themselves. So Others Might Eat, for example, normally keeps free water sources open to the public. But with contamination concerns ever present, they now rely on donations like ours to keep fulfilling their mission.
Some are hauling water by the truck load, while others are grabbing only what can fit in their car, but every single bottle is going to a person in need in the District. One volunteer from the Pope Frances Outreach Center was near tears when we saw how much water we were able to provide. After a large pick up, we received this note, “The donation will make a big difference to our center. Your donation[…]allows us to include these items in the food bags the guests receive. Think how appreciative they will be, especially receiving bottles of water. My guests will be grateful for the extra item. You have been a ‘blessing in disguise’.”
As we continue in these efforts, we are so grateful to have the opportunity to gain the same type of satisfaction we are so blessed to receive from the core of our work which we soon hope we will return to. It is a feeling of contribution, a satisfaction of purpose accomplished, from using our resources and talents to imp\rove the world around us. What started as a disappointment for our business has become a blessing for organizations around the city - through clean water for thousands of Washington, D.C. residents. RGI is proud to have partnered with these vital organizations and will continue to provide water to any organization in need while our supplies remain.
If your organization is in need of water, please don’t hesitate to reach out to RGI Event Services Coordinator, Christine Humbach: via email, christine@rgievents.com.
Stay safe D.C.!