Meeting vital needs during COVID-19

Perry Middle School students conduct projects that benefit Greater Cleveland Food Bank

Some Perry Middle School students have spearheaded projects to help meet needs of the community.

Some Perry Middle School students have spearheaded projects to help meet needs of the community, medical providers and first responders during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

A few notable efforts were organized and carried out by Garrett Rupert; and Cloe and Kyle McCann, who are sister and brother, respectively.

Garrett, who is in eighth grade, conducted the Pandemic Pantry Food Drive on April 16.

“I was completing an assignment through my entrepreneurship class and it asked to look into what the community is in need of during these times,” Garrett said. “I had volunteered at a food bank while I was at a camp in Tennessee and thought I should hold a food drive for a food bank in our community”.

Garrett learned that the Greater Cleveland Food Bank was trying to fulfill increasing needs stemming from the COVID-19 outbreak and decided to conduct a collection for the organization. He held the event in the driveway of his home.

While his goal was to gather 100 cans of food, he more than quadrupled that by securing donations of 450 food items that weighed a total of 443 pounds. The items were dropped off at the Greater Cleveland Food Bank the following day.

“None of this would have been possible without the contributions of the community members and their willingness to donate,” he said.

Meanwhile, the McCann siblings — eighth-grader Cloe and sixth-grader Kyle — produced and donated three-dimensional printed face shields to hospitals and first responders who encounter additional safety and health risks posed by COVID-19.

“My dad came up with the idea when he saw people on his 3-D printer group doing things to help other people,” Kyle said. “Then my mom got permission to get the printer from the school so we could help, too.”

Together, Cloe and Kyle have made more than 300 face shields that have been sent to hospitals as far away as Findlay, Ohio. In addition, the pair have printed hundreds of mask extenders that allow for medical staff to more comfortably wear surgical and N95 masks.

Working in conjunction with the 3-D printing website, matterhackers.com, Cloe and Kyle have sent out more than 100 extenders across the country.

“We donated to people from various hospitals, but we are mainly just trying to help anyone who asks,” Cloe said.

Anyone who might need face shields or mask extenders made by Cloe and Kyle can contact their mother, Robin McCann, who works as the media associate at Perry Middle School, at McCannR@ Perry-Lake.org.

“I was completing an assignment through my entrepreneurship class and it asked to look into what the community is in need of during these times.” — Garrett Rupert

PHOTO COURTESY OF PERRY SCHOOLS Perry Middle School eighth-grader Garrett Rupert displays food that was collected during the Pandemic Pantry Food Drive which he conducted on April 16.