One thing that is quickly apparent when joining the vaping community is how exceptionally helpful people are. Vapers are happy to encourage, support and help people who smoke switch to far safer alternatives, whether in a social media group, online forum, local vape shop or just a stranger on the street asking about vaping. Most vape shop owners say they opened their stores because they wanted to help people quit smoking like they did.
Even as vapers and vape shops contend with reduced access to low-risk products due to forced closures, flavor bans and looming regulations, their thoughts turn to helping others.
In Minnesota, Skip Murray was an active member in her community even before her son opened Lake Vapes & Rec Supply in Brainerd. Along with working at the vape shop, Skip is a Direct Service Professional at a company with 4 group homes in her area. A huge advocate for vaping, she became a Tobacco Harm Reduction Specialist for the Minnesota Smoke Free Alliance, a grass-roots advocacy group promoting tobacco harm reduction policies.
When the COVID-19 outbreak started to impact her community, Skip’s giving nature kicked into high gear. So far, she, her family and her coworkers have donated bottles, disposable and N95 face masks, and more than 16 gallons of hand sanitizer to first responders. They are also donating groceries and even crafting supplies for families with special needs children.
“I spent the day hand filling bottles and hand sticking labels on them. I’m about to leave and go hand some of them out,” she told us in a recent Messenger chat. “Need to deliver, and then grab some food, and then take a nap. Then I work at 3 am.”
As Skip was dealing with reduced business and income at the vape shop, she was running donated supplies around town and then working her other job, while proudly sharing stories on social media of other vapers and small vape businesses helping out their communities...
READ FULL ARTICLE: Even With Shut Down and Devastating Bans, Vaping Community Still Helping People - CASAA
Even as vapers and vape shops contend with reduced access to low-risk products due to forced closures, flavor bans and looming regulations, their thoughts turn to helping others.
In Minnesota, Skip Murray was an active member in her community even before her son opened Lake Vapes & Rec Supply in Brainerd. Along with working at the vape shop, Skip is a Direct Service Professional at a company with 4 group homes in her area. A huge advocate for vaping, she became a Tobacco Harm Reduction Specialist for the Minnesota Smoke Free Alliance, a grass-roots advocacy group promoting tobacco harm reduction policies.
When the COVID-19 outbreak started to impact her community, Skip’s giving nature kicked into high gear. So far, she, her family and her coworkers have donated bottles, disposable and N95 face masks, and more than 16 gallons of hand sanitizer to first responders. They are also donating groceries and even crafting supplies for families with special needs children.
“I spent the day hand filling bottles and hand sticking labels on them. I’m about to leave and go hand some of them out,” she told us in a recent Messenger chat. “Need to deliver, and then grab some food, and then take a nap. Then I work at 3 am.”
As Skip was dealing with reduced business and income at the vape shop, she was running donated supplies around town and then working her other job, while proudly sharing stories on social media of other vapers and small vape businesses helping out their communities...
READ FULL ARTICLE: Even With Shut Down and Devastating Bans, Vaping Community Still Helping People - CASAA
