Published: 3/26/2020 3:43:12 PM
ORANGE — The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has people from all walks of life pondering how they can help and make a difference.
Sometimes, the answer lies in thinking outside the box. Or outside the bag, as the case might be.
A friend of Charlsie Gorski, office manager at Dean’s Beans Organic Coffee Co., tagged her in a Facebook post from DIY Masks of Western Mass asking if anyone could donate tin ties so volunteers can make sorely needed medical masks, which are becoming increasingly precious throughout the country. On Monday night, Gorski posted that her company would be happy to donate and encouraged people to reach out to her.
She told the Greenfield Recorder the tin ties, which are used to seal coffee bags, are sent to the homes of that Facebook group’s members, who craft the masks. She said the group’s membership spans Western Massachusetts.
“This group is a great group doing a lot of good things,” Gorski said.
Dean’s Beans posted on Facebook about the donation and Gorski said more requests have pored in. She estimates a volunteer mask-maker can assemble an average of 20 masks a day, on the high end.
Katherine Parcell, human resources and administrative manager at Dean’s Beans, said the company has the capacity to donate roughly 2,000 tin ties. Dean’s Beans sources them by the thousands from North Atlantic Specialty Bag in Reading, Pa.
Zach Torrin, a member of the Facebook group, posted a link to a Google Doc spreadsheet of organizations in need of masks and how to go about donating them. The spreadsheet can be found at rb.gy/hhhj8r.
Parcell, who said she was wearing a mask while talking on the phone with the Greenfield Recorder, said donating tin ties is the roastery’s way of pitching in during a global health scare.
“Anything we can do in this time of crisis,” she said. “Everyone is dealing with this in some way.”
Parcell said sales went “through the roof” a couple of weeks ago, likely when people realized they would still need their caffeine fix as they hunker down, though they have since leveled off.
The roastery at 50 R W Moore Drive is, until further notice, no longer accepting walk-in customers for pre-paid orders.
“Any orders placed prior to this announcement will still be fulfilled, and put out on the porch for pick up,” the website reads. “No new pre-paid orders will be taken.”
The website also states the company is temporarily halting custom blends and tells customers they can likely expect shipping delays.
Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-772-0261, ext. 262.