'Lift Your Spirit, Take Your Shot' Initiative Launched In Suffolk

PECONIC, NY — Despite the soggy skies, the mood was festive at the Raphael vineyard in Peconic Wednesday as Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone kicked off the "Lift Your Spirit, Take Your Shot" initiative.

The program, a part of Phase 2 of the #TakeYourShot campaign, aims to incentivize vaccinations for those who may have hesitancy or have not yet rolled up their sleeves. Residents aged 21 and over who get vaccinated at a Suffolk County site through May 31 can receive a ticket for a free glass of wine, beer, tasting, or cocktail at one of the eight businesses participating so far.

"After the year we have had, going through COVID, which was traumatic and unprecedented and, in so many ways, painful, people are just yearning to be outside again. To be with other people — and there's no better place where they can do that than on the East End, in Long Island wine country," Bellone said.

Now, with the coronavirus positivity rates dropping and warm weather arriving, Bellone said the point has come where vaccination supply is outpacing demand. To date, more than 718,000 Suffolk County residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, Bellone said.

But the issue of hesitancy remains, he said.

"It's a far cry from when people were scrambling online to get their vaccinations. That almost gave a false sense that everyone wanted it and there wasn't any hesitancy. We're at a different place today," Bellone said.

Although the number of those who have received a vaccination is close to 50 percent, "that's not enough to put the pandemic behind us," Bellone said.

Bellone thanked the businesses that have signed on; representatives of those businesses spoke and thanked the county executive. Also present at Raphael, which served recently as a vaccination site, were Southold Town Councilwoman Sarah Nappa and Greg Doroski, nominated by the Southold Democratic Party to run for town board in the next election.

The initiative isn't just important for helping to achieve herd immunity, Bellone said: It's also a shot in the arm for businesses that have been hit hard by the pandemic. The hope is that people will come out for their free drink then stay to buy food, snacks, and additional beverages.

“With each vaccine, we are one step closer to returning to normalcy,” said Bellone. "Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures, and the ‘Lift Your Spirit, Take Your Shot’ initiative provides yet another incentive for our residents to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated.”

Participating businesses include:

Wineries

· Del Vino Vineyards in Northport

· Raphael in Peconic

Breweries

· Peconic County Brewing in Riverhead

· Greenport Harbor Brewing Company in Greenport

· Spider Bite Beer Co. in Holbrook

· Montauk Brewing Company in Montauk

· Twin Fork Beer Company in Riverhead

Distilleries

· Long Island Spirits in Baiting Hollow