Hometown Businesses Team Up To Make Face Shields, Fight Virus

GREENPORT, NY — If it takes a village, than the Village of Greenport and the community as a whole are teaming up in a big, hometown show of support to help first responders fighting back against the new coronavirus.

Two beloved local businesses, the Greenport Brewing Company and William J. Mills & Co., have joined forces to develop and produce face shields for local hospitals, first responders and community outreach volunteers.

And they've organized a GoFundMe to help secure necessary materials.

The assembly of the face shields will take place at Greenport Brewing Company with the help of brewery staff and other local volunteers from the community, all in a large, controlled environment at the brewery using prescribed safety equipment and following all social distancing measures, a release said.

Richard Vandenburgh, co-founder of the Greenport Brewing Company and president of the Village of Greenport Business Improvement District, said being able to work toward the goal with Jamie and Bobby Mills, owners of William J. Mills & Co., and having the support of Bob Gammon, a team leader of the Southold Schools Robotics Club "demonstrates how a community can rapidly come together to help fill a need. The people that are on the front lines of our hospitals and rescue teams are heroes of the highest order so if we can help in any way, it is a small measure of our gratitude.”

Between 3,000 to 5,000 face shields will be assembled, cleaned and individually packaged, he said.

A GoFundMe campaign, "Operation COVID-19 Defense Fund — Phase II" has been created to help raise funds that will offset the material costs involved in the assembly of the face shields and other personal protective equipment items, Vandenburgh said.

Any excess donations raised will be passed onto Eastern Long Island Hospital for use in purchasing additional necessary equipment needed in the fight against COVID-19, he added.

“These are unprecedented times and people are suffering. The idea came to us from our friend Mark Miller and it was immediately obvious we are in a position to help," Jamie Mills said. "My family has been on the North Fork for generations and there isn’t a person we know that does not respect the effort and sacrifices that our local hospitals and first responders give to protect others.”

According to the GoFundMe page, the effort is ongoing and the leadership team behind the initial phase was humbled at the response they received.

"Now we are organizing for Phase II and have amended our appeal. The idea to mobilize and fill this need was born from the hardworking and honest values of several North Fork businesses and community members who recognize the unprecedented demand and selfless risks that our local hospitals, their staff, and first responders take to ensure the most responsive medical and emergency care possible," the page said.

"With the thought leadership of Jamie & Bobby Mills of William J. Mills & Co., a locally owned and multi-generational family company, Phase I was pursued in developing a prototype face shield that has now been approved for use by Stony Brook University Hospital," the page said.

That design, the page said, will allow for rapid assembly of the critically needed PPE. Phase II will develop additional prototypes of protective gowns and face masks for first responder and public use; the equipment and materials needed to produce the PPE continues to be sourced with the help of the team, the page said.

Working in shifts, volunteers working at the Greenport Brewing Company will follow social distance protocols; each volunteer will have the necessary safety equipment and work limited shifts under supervision of the organizers, organizers said.

The finished PPE will then be cleaned and individually packaged.

Costs associated with the PPE are $4 for each packaged shield, $2 for each mask and, hopefully, no more than $20 for a protective gown, organizers said.

The 3,000 to 5,000 face shields will be assembled over a three-to-five day period, with two shifts working from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

"As soon as the prototypes for gowns and masks are ready, we hope to fabricate similar numbers," organizers said, adding that the Greenport Village BID will serve as the repository of all collected funds as a 501(c)19 organization.

"These efforts along with the logistical, technical and financial support of Mark Miller, Bob Gammon, the Greenport Village BID, Southold Schools Robotics Club, and Reflective Image Manufacturing in Greenport have made Operation COVID-19 Defense possible. Our goal has been amended to $25,000 to include Phase II of our mobilization efforts in order to help offset the material and packaging costs under this appeal," the page said. "Any assistance or donation is greatly appreciated, as we are all stronger and safer when we work together."

To donate click here.