Thank you Matthew Lawrence for bringing this to my attention. His Law and Order Party sends out weekly newsletters which have “inspired” me before. (Hey, he used to write for us . . . he owes us content.)
This week a fundraiser launched for New England PPE, a group of Providence-based artists and designers who are making cloth masks and plastic face shields while also sourcing affordable surgical masks for frontline healthcare workers.
The 3-D printed face shields are being made by local artists/designers Pneuhaus, whom you might remember from that light-up knit installation on a downtown parking garage last summer.
I am happy to report that they raised its goal of $10,000 in the first 24 hours. The fundraiser continues and tops $26,000 at the time of this writing. This is part of the statement from artist and organizer Jungil Hong:
The PPE we’ll be purchasing includes, for example, KN95 face masks and face shields. Pneuhaus, a Providence, RI-based design and fabrication collective, will be producing shields of their own design for $2 to $3 each — just enough to cover costs. We are also looking at a local manufacturer who has retooled their factory to make PPE garments and working to source domestically where possible. We are continuing to secure other connections with trustworthy distributors in China for surgical masks and KN95s.
We would like to hope that the Feds will come through to provide the PPE our frontline healthcare workers so urgently require. If they do, and we as a community no longer need to fill this role, we will allocate the remaining funds we raise to other organizations working to support people affected by Covid-19.
ARTISTS! Am I right? And yes, we do remember the mesmerizing Pneuhaus installation, Pnit.
Go here for the GoFundMe page. If only out of enlightened self-interest: GIVE! A PPE New England website has also been launched.