PHOTO PROVIDED Averaging approximately 250 masks per day, the staff at Keystone Advertising stitch fabric and elastic together as a way to combat the coronavirus.

MUNCY–A local business is helping to supply area health-care workers with masks, following Governor Tom Wolf’s statewide stay-at-home order, in conjunction with requesting all Commonwealth residents to wear a mask any time they leave their living spaces.

Keystone Advertising Specialties, 1625 John Brady Drive in Muncy Creek Township, typically employs 60 individuals but had recently furloughed less than 10 to work making homemade masks, producing about 250 a day.

The business supplies promotional advertising in many forms, including t-shirts.

Dennis Hosey, sales manager at the business, said nursing homes have some of the highest at-risk people and are being left out of the supply chain.

Before the idea of sewing masks became a priority, Hosey said the remaining employees were sitting around in a funk, discussing the impact the pandemic would have locally as well as globally.

“One of the guys suggested making masks, and because the business has rolls and rolls of suitable fabric material on hand, what better way to help,” Hosey said. At one juncture, the company’s supply of elastic dwindled, but Glamorise Foundations, Inc., on Reach Road, heard of their need through a news website and supplied the necessary item to continue making the masks.

As of last Friday, employees had created nearly 2,000 masks bound for healthcare facilities that would have benefited the most using them. While the masks are unavailable to the general public, any healthcare facility that could use the free cloth masks should contact Hosey at Dennis@keystonad.com.