Corporations, foundations pool resources to provide front-line workers with masks

Corporations and foundations across the region are partnering with a Duquesne-based textile company to produce more than 360,000 washable cloth masks for essential workers in nursing homes, medical clinics, grocery stores and other places.

Philanthropic and corporate participants have donated more than $750,000 to the Protective Mask Fund that will pay for the first 360,000 non-medical-grade face masks. The American Textile Co. in Duquesne, which normally manufactures bedding products, is making the masks at facilities in Duquesne, Dallas, Salt Lake City and the Atlanta area, plus its facility in El Salvador, according to company President and CEO Lance Ruttenberg.

“I think the real story here is the way Pittsburgh can come together in a crisis and make a big difference,” said David Roger, president of the Hillman Family Foundations. “The impact of where these masks will be distributed, whether it’s senior care facilities or front-line human service providers, shelters, it’s going to be critical. The supply-chain issues probably aren’t going to go away very quickly.”

The Allegheny Conference on Community Development is managing the funds. Global Links, a medical relief agency based in Green Tree, is managing distribution with guidance from the Allegheny County Health Department, Allegheny County Human Services Department and public health and human services agencies in surrounding counties.

Global Links last week distributed 12,000 masks to workers in Allegheny County and surrounding areas.

A large shipment arrived Thursday night from the El Salvador facility. “We’re going to produce as many as needed,” Ruttenberg said.

Roger, who organized the fundraising, said during a virtual news conference Friday that the Hillman foundations early on in the coronavirus pandemic were receiving multiple requests from county agencies in Allegheny County for protective equipment. He reached out to Ruttenberg.

“I just asked the question: ‘Do you think your company’s in a position to provide this type of a product?’ ” Roger said. “Lance said, ‘You know, we’ve been thinking about it.’ In fact, Lance at that time already had a prototype and was working at this.”

The priority is delivering masks to front-line workers in the health and human services. The group will distribute them to the public if there is a surplus.