Santa Maria printing company refurbishes 170K masks for Dignity Health

SANTA MARIA, Calif. - Local printing company Poor Richard's Press is refurbishing 170,000 N95 masks that were given to Dignity Health.

“The masks themselves were fine, but they learned that when they went to put the mask on, the strap that would go over the nurse's head, they had become brittle while in storage and they were breaking,” said Poor Richard's Press owner Todd Ventura.

The printing company's embroidery division stepped up to fix all the masks,
bringing employees laid off due to COVID-19 back into work.

“So it gave them the ability to earn some income and do a good thing for the community,” said Ventura.

“We basically broke it down to a three-step process, where we strip out the defective strap. We punch holes in the sides of the mask and we put elastic where the defective straps were,” said Poor Richard's Press employee Jonathan Staffel.

When word got out, volunteers came to be of service too.

“From personal experience, we had a family member in the hospital and in isolation. Just knowing how much protective gear the hospital workers have to wear every day hit home for sure,” said volunteer Annie Adler.

Marian Regional Medical Center released a statement to our NewsChannels expressing their gratitude.

“As they have always done, our communities have rallied around us during the COVID-19 pandemic…the kindness of Todd Ventura at Poor Richard’s Press is no exception. The generosity that continues to pour into our facilities has been a huge sense of support…” said Marian Regional Medical Center President and CEO, Sue Andersen.

The printing company and all involved say that giving back is giving back to them just as much.

“As a veteran, I feel that making masks for those on the front lines is a very honorable thing to do,” said Staffel.

“To do something positive to bring light into a dark place is really uplifting,” said Adler.