Mayo Furniture, a Texarkana, TX manufacturer of 55 years, has answered the call of local first responders for face masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Calling its efforts #CoverUpTexarkana, Mayo is utilizing its facility to produce both one-time and reusable masks to increase the availability of protective gear to those on the front lines of controlling the pandemic.
“Every corner of the world has changed in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and Texarkana is no different,” said Rob Sitterley, President & CEO of AR-TX REDI, Texarkana’s economic development organization. “Its humbling to see our long-time manufacturer, Mayo Furniture, step up and answer the call of our law enforcement, fire and medical professionals.”
Over the past week, Mayo Furniture has been in direct contact with sheriff’s office, fire and police supervisors, nursing homes and grocery stores and hopes to address needs wherever they may exist. Within hours of the first request, Mayo Furniture provided more than 600 masks to the sheriff’s office.
“Our family and company have been fortunate to call Texarkana home for the last 55 years,” said Steve Mayo, President of Mayo Furniture. “This is our time to give back and come together as a community.”
The single-use masks do not require any sewing and are a single piece which ties in the back. While not medical grade, the masks can help stem the spread from someone who is asymptomatic. Mayo Manufacturing is also fabricating cloth masks that can be washed and reused. The reusable masks, like the one-time-use ones, will be provided free of charge to any first responder. Bags of 10 of the cloth masks can be purchased for $50 and the funds will be used to cover the expense of providing the masks free to first responders and to cover the expense of providing free one-time-use masks to grocery stores.
The cloth masks are marked with a tag that includes #CoverUpTexarkana, the company’s logo and an email address along with, “Buying one mask provides 100 free masks locally. Thank you!”
Mayo Manufacturing has been making upholstered furniture in Texarkana since 1965. Steve Mayo, who is also a former mayor of Texarkana, TX, said he hopes members of the community will do their part to end the coronavirus pandemic by staying home.
Submitted by AR-TX REDI.
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