South Florida Goodwill workers making protective gear for healthcare workers

CORAL GABLES, FLA. (WSVN) - South Florida Goodwill workers are getting back to work, making masks.

They’ve pumped out thousands of masks for medical workers, but that’s not the only protective gear they are assembling.

Losette Minoche said, “When you help, you help God. God likes it when you help people.”

During the coronavirus crisis, there has been a shortage of personal protective gear for healthcare workers.

But throughout South Florida there has been no lack of people doing their part.

“Because the hospital needs the pieces,” Minoche said.

Normally at Goodwill South Florida’s headquarters there would be about 1,200 employees putting together military uniforms.

But because of the pandemic, there are only about 50 employees working right now putting together medical gear for a local hospital.

President of the local Goodwill David Landsberg said, “We’re not really going to make much of anything to sustain the non- profit, but we’re doing the right thing.”

The employees have to maintain social distancing guidelines, and their stations have strict sanitation protocols.

Landsberg said they will be donating about 30,000 secondary masks made with leftover camouflage and about 12,000 isolation gowns for Baptist Health South Florida.

“They sourced a fabric that would do a good enough job with isolation gowns if they were running out,” Landsberg said.

Once the order is complete, they will begin to transition back to making uniforms and start to bring in more of their employees.

Lansberg said they hope the community will help the non-profit get back on its feet.

“We expect to lose somewhere on the order of $8 million within the time frame of three months. We ask that you consider making a donation, a cash donation to the new Goodwill employee emergency fund,” he said.

As the medical gear is completed, they will take it to Baptist Health South Florida.

They hope to have the whole order completed in a few weeks.

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