It has been a year since the beginning of P.E.S.T. Relief International’s MASKs for Relief program. As the need for PPE increased parallel to the global pandemic, P.E.S.T. began developing new ways to generate a positive impact. Partnering with Mattress Safe and local home sewers to produce a face-covering that is soft, breathable, and reusable, P.E.S.T. recognized the global need for personal protective equipment and implemented the MASK for RELIEF Initiative. Although 2020 was full of hardships brought on by COVID-19, the non-profit organization adapted around the strenuous state of the world and was able to help bring peace of mind through comfort and relief.
The MASKs for Relief initiative was set in motion when a pest control operator reached out of desperation with a request for masks. With the help of Mattress Safe, P.E.S.T. developed a design, created prototypes, and produced thousands of white masks for Arrow Exterminators which allowed them to continue their essential work in U.S. homes and businesses. Shortly thereafter, P.E.S.T. supplied masks to Brian Metzger of the Gopherwood Community Foundation in Kansas and then to Eve Pappas, founder of the Tri-state Canine Response Team, who distributed masks to local elderly care facilities in the New Jersey Area. This set in motion a Give-One-Get-One program with colorful designer mask options. Through this initiative, hundreds of masks were donated to local hospitals, women’s shelters, and individuals in need across the Southeast.