RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Two local businesswomen have started a non-profit project, RVAMasks.com, to donate 500 KN95 masks to area hospitals and selling washable cloth masks to the general public.

Cheryl Fornash, owner of Cheryl Fornash Jewelers, said she and Dina Alan, owner of Alan Furs & Fine Jewelry, decided to start the project because they wanted to do something to help out the community during the outbreak.

“It’s important at a time like this that we all stick together … we’re going to make a difference if we all do this together, and that’s why this has been so successful in helping everybody, because we all have been working together as a team and it’s not just thanking one person, it’s thanking everybody who’s worked with this entire project,” Alan said.

Fornash said she was able to purchase 500 KN95 masks — thanks to a niece who designs accessories and has connections in China. She added these specific kinds of masks are needed in the medical community and really hard to find right now.

They are planning to give out 100 masks at a time to area healthcare facilities who need them, with the first 100 going to the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU. Elaine Ryan, president of the Junior Board for the Children’s Hospital Foundation, said Fornash and Alan were already long time supporters of the hospital — donating big items to its Jewels for Children raffle for the last eight years.

“We were just very very grateful for their continued support,” Ryan said.

Fornash said when the customers found out they had purchased these masks — they wanted to buy them. However, she wanted to save them for medical workers who truly needed them.

“So to address the customer request Dina agreed to make the cotton washable mask for the community,” Fornash said.

Alan got her team of seamstresses and finishers to help make washable fabric masks for the general public, which not only fills a need in the community but also keeps her employees working.

“I’ve also reached out to other people to help make these masks,” she said.

Once they got the site online, Fornash said the orders started coming in. Alan said they have sold more than 775 masks so far. She said they wouldn’t have been able to produce this many without their staff, who have been working around the clock to produce masks.

“And I just want to add Dina has really done an extraordinary job because she’s ordered the fabric, she’s been up to three or four ‘o clock in the morning cutting fabrics because we’ve had to try to keep ahead of the demand,” Fornash said.

“Everybody has really helped out,” Alan said. “We’ve even had customers come up and say ‘what do you need help with, can we help you?’ It wasn’t just one person, it definitely was a team effort and we are really lucky that we have a great team.”

Every mask sold funds one KN-95 mask for a medical worker, according to Fornash.

“When they purchase a mask they helping the community, they are doing their part to help out the community … they are just as much a part of helping the community as we are,” Alan said.

Since they’ve sold more cloth masks than they bought, Fornash said they are going to try to buy more medical masks if they can.

“We are not looking to make any profit on this, it’s totally to give the masks away and provide the fabric masks to people who want them,” Fornash said.

Alan said the most rewarding part of this project has been how thankful people have been for the masks, and they will continue to make the masks as long as there is a need.

“I think that’s the biggest joy, knowing that we have helped somebody in a crisis situation like this,” she said.

“As long as the community needs me to do them I’m going to try doing it as long as I can.” Dina Alan

Fornash said she hopes they have set an example for some of the other small businesses out there and if they have an opportunity or connection to obtain PPE to do so and purchase it and donate it to the hospital.

“[Healthcare workers] really need protection and they’re out there jeopardizing their lives every day to save our lives,” she said.

Want to learn more?

You can learn more about the project — here, and order a mask — here.

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