LOGAN, Utah — With her mother serving as a volunteer, content creator Mikayla Flynn has a vested interest in the WAB Warming Center in Logan.
"It’s really vital and I think it's vital in every community because Utah winters are so brutal, so we need to have these warming centers because it protects people from the elements," Flynn said.
When Mikayla heard the city's Spirit Goat soap shop was raising money for the center through its monthly "Purchase with a Purpose" program, she got to work on social media promoting the donation drive.
"My follow count is somewhere in the 370,000 [range], so it’s more than I thought I would ever get for sure," Flynn said.
Flynn is talking about TikTok followers, and after posting a video about the donation drive, sales of the soap picked up considerably at the shop.
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"I started looking at where people were from that were purchasing these bars," explained store manager Sydney Outsen. "We had people from Texas, California, Washington, Oregon, some people from southern Utah ordered our warm welcome soap and we also had some people coming in the store as well to purchase the soap."
You could say Spirit Goat has been cleaning up when it comes to its sales. Of the warm welcome soap, the store only had one bar in stock on Thursday as they gear up to produce their next batch. That means the potential to get the warming center more dollars to help keep the non-profit operation going.
"That’s how we stay open, we have support from the community to help those who are experiencing homelessness," said Christine Runhaar, the center's volunteer coordinator. "It warms my heart, makes me proud to be a part of the community. You know, we really do have a great community of people who are willing to help and step up."
As for Mikayla and her social media following, she wants no credit for her part in taking soap sales well beyond the Logan city limits.
"Any platform that I have, which is nothing in the grand scheme of things," she said, "making one video in comparison to people who actually come in and volunteer and donate every day of the year, that is nothing in comparison to making a video."
