ART Member Spotlight – Black Whale Lighting

Black Whale Lighting

Encintas, CA

March is Women’s History Month to highlight women leaders and their contributions to history and contemporary society. ART salutes Kirsten Recce of Black Whale Lighting for lending a hand.

Recently, Black Whale Lighting President Kirsten Recce saw a post from a friend who was spearheading a drive to buy and deliver meals to healthcare workers at Scripps Encinitas Hospital. Recce said the hospital has been busy with COVID-19 cases; so much so that it had tents outside the facility to begin the triage process.

So Recce reached out to her friend and asked to take responsibility for buying and bringing enough individually wrapped meals for one day — with a few extras.

“We had to come up with enough individually wrapped food for 75 people,” Recce said. “It wasn’t my vision but the vision so resonated with me that not only were we dropping off food and good wishes, but we delivered thank you cards and later, I delivered candy for Valentine’s Day and things that were individually wrapped and gave them coffee.”

While delivering food to healthcare workers is part of it, Recce said another appealing aspect of the drive was making a significant purchase with local restaurants, including Tin Leaf Kitchen in Carlsbad, Calif. Recce said when it was Black Whale’s turn to lend a hand, she insisted on paying full retail prices because these businesses need all the help they can get.

“What I loved about the program was not just the obvious of feeding the healthcare workers and security guards but also picking restaurants in the community to provide the food. I picked one that owns three independent restaurants,” Recce said. “I imagine they’re crazy impacted. We called them up and placed the order; no discounts or favors. I said, I want you to charge me in full because I wanted to give money to a restaurant that’s struggling. I love that it was a two-fold thing. Either one would be gratifying but this became a double bonus. ”

Recce said lending a hand in the community is part of the ethos at Black Whale. She said the retailer has contributed to its local Habitat for Humanity chapter numerous times over the years, and personally, she has done a number of things to help out at her kids’ schools.

She said it’s important for Black Whale to be a good corporate citizen and help build a stronger community.

“It was a nice way to become engaged,” Recce said. “It’s easy to be a small business owner working 60-80 hours to get lost. This was a nice way to give back and get to meet people I wouldn’t have been able to meet otherwise.”

Kudos to Kirsten Recce of Black Whale Lighting for taking this initiative. So inspiring. For more information on Black Whale Lighting, visit their website.