"Beer Fairies" Are The Latest Way To Spread Cheer In A Pandemic

We've all found ways to help support each other through the COVID-19 outbreak, whether it's donating to GoFundMe campaigns, preparing meals for first responders, or organizing neighborhood drive-by birthday parades. Add another delightful bit of ingenuity to that list: Beer Fairies, which are cropping up across the country to spread cheer and booze to those who might be in need of small joys.

New Jersey local news reports on Sisterhood of the Traveling Booze, a Facebook group that began as a small localized effort and quickly grew into a thriving movement across South Jersey thousands of members strong. Within the private women's group, members share their home addresses and wait to be gifted a drop-off by the Beer Fairy, which typically consists of a six-pack, some snacks, and a friendly note. The recipient who's been "beer'd" is then encouraged to pay it forward to someone else in the community.

"It's been so much fun seeing how excited people get over beer left on their porch," the group's founder, Angelia Taylor, told NJ.com. "It makes my heart happy that I can bring joy to someone."

The idea sprang from similar wine-themed groups that were popping up in the area, and as NJ.com notes, other states are also seeing similar "booze fairy" trends. The deliveries are targeted to those who are most in need: people who have lost their jobs or whose loved ones have contracted coronavirus. Even some of the folks who run Sisterhood of the Traveling Booze have experienced these hardships and are determined to spread joy.

"This has been very uplifting for everyone," said Lyndsay McKinney, a moderator of the Facebook group, which now has more than 3,000 members. "It's nice that people are opening up their lives to let (others) know you are not the only one and you're not alone."