Together Grand Strand: How Tara Grinna Swimwear is aiding the fight against coronavirus
Editor’s note: Together Grand Strand is a series focused on the good deeds happening in our community during the coronavirus pandemic. If you know of an act of kindness that we should highlight, please email sneditors@thesunnews.com with the subject title “Together Grand Strand idea.”
A local swimwear manufacturer has reopened her factory to help a Grand Strand hospital repair thousands of elastic straps on face masks during the coronavirus pandemic.
Tara Grinna, owner of Tara Grinna Swimwear based on the Strand, did not hesitate to offer a helping hand after Tidelands Health took to social media asking for help refurbishing the deteriorated straps on N95 respirator masks. Grinna reopened her Conway factory Monday and brought in volunteers to sew new donated elastic straps on and repackage each mask for the hospital.
Grinna said “it’s huge” that sewing machine operators were willing to return and volunteer.
“I constantly heard on the news that there was a shortage,” Grinna said. “I couldn’t sit around do nothing. I knew we needed to help somehow.”
About 35,000 N95 respirator masks were delivered to the factory Friday, and a crew of volunteers began Monday. Grinna said it may take about one week to replace the straps on all the masks.
Grinna said the factory has adjusted sewing machines so volunteers can maintain social distancing while repairing the masks.
The N95s are a “really important piece” of medical equipment during this current outbreak, said Amy Stevens, vice president of Tidelands Health. The hospital had stockpiled thousands of masks during a previous public health emergency, but over time the elastic straps became brittle and broke easily.
“It’s tremendous we have these,” Stevens said. “In less than 24 hours, we had more than 2,000 volunteer” to reapply straps.
A textile company in Landrum, South Carolina, donated 20,000 elastic straps to help with Tidelands’ efforts to refurbish the masks, Stevens said.
What has been so amazing, Stevens said, is the community coming together.
“Everyday people are reaching out to help,” she said. “This is a big deal.”
Grinna said volunteers are welcome, even if they do not know how to sew. There are still jobs to be done that do not require sewing, like unpackaging and repackaging the masks, she said.
Want to volunteer? Email kirsti@taragrinna.com for more information.
