California Groundbreakers

In this episode (taped April 19), we’re talking with a couple of everyday people who are doing amazing things in this New Normal -- and got their local communities to step up by offering volunteer time, skills and financial support. First up: Cris Stellar, owner of Dry Diggins Distillery, who pivoted from brewing spirits for cocktails to making hand sanitizers and disinfectant sprays for California medical and law-enforcement workers. In the second half, Alan Puccinelli talks about his Operation Shields Up, an organization entirely run and funded by volunteers to make protective face shields for hospital workers, first for Sacramento-area hospitals and now nationwide. Listen to Stellar and Puccinelli explain how and why they’re doing these altruistic efforts, what they’ve learned along the way, and how you can help out, too. NOTES: * Cris Stellar says ramped-up production of his sanitizing products means he can now start providing them to workers in elder-care facilities and nursing homes. If you're one