Coachella's Ernie Ball Hands Out 55,000 Free Handmade Face Masks

COACHELLA VALLEY, CA — In April, guitar accessories manufacturer Ernie Ball announced it was transforming part of its Coachella plant to produce two-ply cotton face masks to be given away in the community amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Seven months later, the company announced it has donated 55,000 of its handmade face masks to local Coachella Valley residents, charities and organizations.

“The Coachella Valley is our home and we wanted to help the community in any way possible,” said Brian Ball, CEO of Ernie Ball. “Throughout the pandemic, our primary goal has been to establish a safe, controlled working environment for our team members and employees. When the mandate for masks was announced, our team came together and decided we had a unique opportunity to support not just our employees, but all residents of our Valley by distributing masks to all free of charge. I really couldn’t be more proud.”

To date, more than 21,800 adult masks and over 5,000 children’s masks have been handmade and delivered to those who requested them via a dedicated webpage, according to Ball.

Additionally, another 29,700 masks have been given away to charities, Ernie Ball employees, and entities such as Martha's Kitchen, Coachella Valley Rescue Mission, Act for MS, FIND Food Bank, Local Fireman Chapter, Tiny Tots, John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital, Loma Linda University Medical Center, Indio Police Department, Path of Life Rehab, Riverside County Office of Education, Youth Intervention Program, Dr. Wayne Kleinmann, Indio Justice Center - Victims Advocate, Child Protection Service - Indio Office, and City of Coachella employees, as well as outreach programs, to name a few.

Masks have also been provided to local residents, various daycare centers, nursing homes, and migrant farm workers at places like Sun Date, Cal-Organic Farms, CV Farmer-Labor, Tudor Ranch, Prime Time Produce, Belk Farms, Oasis Branch Management, Desert Mist Farms, Hadley Dates, Sardella Contracting, Esparza Enterprises, Jewel Date Company, Richard Bagdasarian, and Anthony Vineyards, among others.

While the company is not accepting any additional new orders, it's continuing to produce masks that are on backorder.