Vegas manufacturer donates masks to nonprofit, schools
Las Vegas-based manufacturer Pandmedic Solutions donated 10,000 N95 and surgical masks to nonprofit CORE and two Opportunity 180 schools at a Thursday event.
CORE works with sixth to 12th grade students, while Opportunity 180 works with Clark County School District schools in low-income areas. Pandmedic’s operations manager, Will Mijangos, said the company chose these organizations because the mask donation would allow them to devote resources to other areas.
“It’s hard, because everyone needs it,” he said. “Everybody needs a donation. Everybody wants a donation. But we found that the need was going to be with these schools. It was going to free up a lot of money in their budget.”
Mijangos led a tour of the facility, which produces between 150,000 and 200,000 masks a day. The company was founded in April 2020, when owners recognized the need for more personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
CORE Executive Director Lindsay Harper said she was impressed with the facility and hoped to bring CORE students on a field trip to the facility at some point. She also stressed the importance of the donation and the effect it will have on the organization’s work in the community.
“Kids need to be protected,” she said. “Our staff needs to be protected. This PPE is going to go directly to that. We want to make sure that our students feel very comfortable in the classroom, and this is going to go towards that so that they feel like they can show up and be truly present.”
One of the schools getting the mask donation was Futuro Academy. Associate Executive Director Cindi Rivera said the timing of the donation was especially important.
“This donation is definitely going to provide us with much needed protection,” she said. “It’s also going to free us with budget. We’re able to now purchase supplies for students that they’re going to need to be successful when they come back. Pencils, paper, books, et cetera. It’s definitely going to allow us to be able to do that.”