By Greg Ellison

(April 9, 2020) Ocean Pines residents have banded together to provide face masks to bolster supplies for the Ocean Pines Fire Department and Coastal Hospice staff members, whose jobs come with an increased risk of exposure to the coronavirus.

Neil Gottesman, a Coastal Hospice volunteer and lifetime member of the Ocean Pines Fire Department, helped hatch the plan after learning supplies of safety masks at both entities could be stretched thin by the health crisis.

“It was my understanding they could use some additional masks, so they don’t have to go through supplies of the N-95 mask,” he said.

Gottesman, a member of the USA Pickleball Association, initially reached out to a tightknit group of fellow Ocean Pines racquet sport enthusiasts, with assistance quickly forthcoming from Pine’eer Craft Club participant Carol Quinto.

“She reached out and got some of the people involved there,” he said.

Gottesman said as news of the venture spread, and more specifically the need for quarter-inch or eighth-inch wide elastic, community support quickly followed.

“We have people, actually residents within Ocean Pines, who are helping out, whether with donations of elastic or helping to sew,” he said.

At this point, enough people have supplied elastic to get the production process underway.

“We probably have half a dozen people who are sewing,” he said.

Others have acted as conduits during the current social-distancing moment.

“We had four people within the [

Photo courtesy: Neil Gottesman
A small smattering of the homemade facemasks produced by a contingent of Ocean Pines residents to provide backup supplies for the Ocean Pines Fire Department and Coastal Hospice.

who have been helping to pickup the material and drop it off,” he said.

Gottesman said although masks are being assembled, help is still being sought.

“At this point, we need more sewers and if we can get them more elastic,” he said. “We’re hoping by this weekend to drop off a whole bunch for them to be able to utilize.”

Gottesman said the measure is meant to provide backup masks for Ocean Pines firefighters and Coastal Hospice staff who could be exposed to asymptomatic patients.

“It’s not an emergency situation down here, but they’re trying to position themselves so it doesn’t become a shortage of supplies,” he said.

Despite serving as point person for the charitable undertaking, Gottesman gave most of credit to Quinto and other residents toiling with thread and needle.

“Carol and the sewers are doing all the heavy lifting with this,” he said.

Anyone interested in donating time or supplies can email Gottesman at Ngottes@gmail.com.

“The good news would be if this   thing abates and people don’t need it,” he said. “The bad news is we just don’t know where it’s going to go at this point.”