Around Town … with Robert Airoldi: Local residents team up to help community survive coronavirus crisis

Students and business people take action to help the South Valley community during public health crisis

Alex and his mother with a face mask

By Robert Airoldi

Robert Airoldi

Crisis reveals character. And the coronavirus crisis is revealing that many South Valley residents care about their fellow human beings.

Friday, March 13 was the last day Gilroy High School students gathered before in-person classes were suspended. In the week following, senior Alex Torres said he was lost and without a sense of purpose. His mother and teacher at Las Animas Elementary School, Diana Wolf Torres, asked him for some help trying to print a file but needed help to “slice” it, he said. That file was the Verkstan 3D printable face shield for health care workers. It turned out to be the first of 140 they would print and ship, including to New York.

They started this initiative after seeing a post on a 3-D user forum followed by a news story on the same topic. They then registered as part of the registry for the COVID-19 Additive Manufacturing Hub.

“We both realized the potential of these files and started to run the printer day and night,” he said.

It took seven failed 3-D prints for them to get the print settings perfect. Then, a friend in San Jose offered the loan of a second 3D printer allowing them to double their capacity. They started receiving requests for the shields from healthcare providers in need. “I was in charge of printing and my mom ran them to the post office to ship them out to hard hit places in New York and southern California,” Alex said. “I continued to print and requests started to come in from all over the Bay Area.”

Then, in early April, Google Accessibility Labs offered them a 3D printer for use, bringing to three the number of printers churning out shields.

“This is about making a difference in times when things feel out of control,” Alex said. “We can all make a difference.”

Well said, Alex.

Giana Harris

Then there’s Giana Harris, a 10-year-old Portland, Ore., resident who was born in Gilroy. She has an online scrunchee business at Ggzscruncheez.com where she makes the hair ties.

After she saw on the news that the medical industry was short on protective masks, she switched her business to making masks for the public to save the industrial masks for the professionals.

The face masks are double sided 100 percent cotton-lined that is breathable and washable. This product serves as a fashionable facial barrier for personal use.

“I think its great people are making masks and I wanted to help out,” she said. “It just gave me the idea to help them and make them comfortable and safe.”

When she first started her business about six months ago, she donated about 100 pairs of slippers to Portland area hospitals. Now she plans to donate some masks to South Valley nonprofits.

“She’s very philanthropic and believes in giving back to her community,” her mother, Anna Hurtado said.

Buying one, or two, helps Gianna raise money to make even more she will donate. They are $5 each and available at Ggzscruncheez.com.

Meanwhile, in San Martin, Rocca’s Market General Manager Dan Keith is helping families with a week’s worth of food.

Keith and Rocca’s are supplying up to six families per day with essential food, including meat, bread, milk and produce, subject to what’s in stock.

“A lot of people are going through hardships and I wanted to help take care of people in need,” Keith said.

What began as a personal project has quickly turned into a community coming together, he said.

“It’s amazing,” Keith said. “I’m so proud to be a part of this community.”

He added that donations are steadily coming in to help out. If you are able, donations to aid Keith’s effort can be sent through Venmo, @Dan-Keith-8, or by sending a check to Dan Keith, Rocca’s Market, P.O. Box 73, San Martin CA 95046.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, Rocca’s Market is open daily from noon to 5 p.m., except Tuesday and Sunday. The store allows 10 shoppers inside at a time.

The store has set a special time, 11:30 a.m. to noon, for seniors 70 and older and people with weakened immune systems.

Details: visit facebook.com/RoccasMarket.

Robert Airoldi is the editor of Gilroy Life. Reach him at [email protected].