Local company finds new purpose for shield manufacturing

Printscape’s office in Robinson is usually always buzzing with activity, but when the coronavirus pandemic hit it was forced to close.

However, the company is back in action making face shields for local hospitals to help protect health care workers.

“One of the worst phone calls I got. We were closed by the government. We tried to figure out a way to keep the business going,” owner John Dziak said.

The company’s order was for half-a-million shields. The first 50,000 are going to ship next week.

“It feels good to be able to keep the doors open and keep the paychecks moving, but also to help those folks that are on the front line,” Dziak said.

The company has found another purpose too – printing signs and social distancing kits for essential companies like grocery stores.

“I think it’s comforting to know if you’re going to go into battle you have the ammunition you need,” Dziak said.

Zelienople family helping homeless when others can’t

A lot of people have hit hard times because of the coronavirus. But what about those who were already struggling?

The Stickle family from Zelienople is stepping up during this coronavirus crisis to help the homeless.

Mom, dad, and their six kids have it down to a science as they pack bags full of food to bring down to one of Pittsburgh’s most vulnerable populations.

“Due to the current conditions, people can’t get the bare necessities. People need to eat. No one should go hungry,” Josh Stickle said.

They are helping the Red Door Soup Kitchen in downtown Pittsburgh where no volunteers allowed in and no homeless people can enter. In the past two weeks, the Stickle family has dropped off thousands of bagged lunches to feed the needy.

“We have to do something. There are people out there that need help right now especially right now,” Adam Stickle said.

Click here to make an online donation or you can drop items off at the locations below.

St Gregory Catholic School

115 Pine St.

Zelienople, Pa. 16063

The Ark and the Dove

10745 Babcock Blvd.

Gibsonia, Pa. 15044

Cranberry Township partners with volunteers to create masks

Cranberry Township is partnering with Cranberry Sews It flat to create masks and protect its employees.

Volunteers are sewing nearly 700 masks for Township workers, along with other professionals and essential businesses in the region.

The group is in need of material donations, including:

• 100% quilting fabric made of a poly/cotton blend or all cotton.
• New cotton sheets
• ¼” flat braided elastic or double fold bias tape or ribbon ¼” to ½” wide
• Fiskars 45 mm blades for rotary cutters
• Laundry detergent, unscented if possible
• Cotton or poly cotton spools of thread for sewing machines and cones for Serger machines

Items can be dropped off at the Township’s Public Safety Training Center between 9 a.m and 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.

To volunteer as a seamstress, fill out the form at CranberryTownship.org/CRT.

Pittsburgh YMCA giving bags of food to hundreds of families

Even though the YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh can’t open its doors right now, it continues to serve the community.

Hundreds of bags have been filled with food by volunteers to help families in need at the YMCA’s Homewood-Brushton and Hazelwood food pantries.

Usually, families can pick out their food, but the YMCA is now bagging everything and allowing one family at a time to pick up their food.

On a normal day, the YMCA helps more than 400 families, but it’s seen that number skyrocket recently.

If you need help, there’s a distribution Thursday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Homewood-Brushton YMCA.