DALTON - Hundreds of cars lined up at Berkshire Money Management on Thursday afternoon to pick-up a bag of free hand-sewn face masks.
CEO Allen Harris says it’s their way of giving back to the community during the COVID-19 crisis.
Harris said, “If we fast-forwarded to a year from now, and we knew there’s things we could have done, but didn’t do them, I’d just feel bad about myself.”
The company handed out 5,000 masks. They bought them from Berkshire Seamsters, a community sewing group.
Project Manager Kate Lauzon says it took a team of 50 people working hard to fill the order.
“Surprisingly, I thought it was going to be at least a week, and our ladies and a few gentlemen surprised us and they sewed over 6,000 masks in one week," Lauzon said.
Lauzon says many of the group’s members have lost their jobs during the outbreak and all the proceeds from the masks go to towards helping their families.
“We’re selling the masks retail in bulk to anybody who wants them, but we’re getting grants to get these masks out to people who can’t afford them," Lauzon said.
Harris has also donated PPE to first responders and healthcare workers and is now starting a program to help business owners prepare for re-opening.
Harris said, “We’re creating tote bags with some hand-sewn masks, some more conventional respiratory masks, no-touch thermometers, gloves, sanitizers, things that people are going to need to re-open their businesses come May 18."