Alene Candles Producing Face Shields Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

MILFORD, NH — Shortages of face masks, shields and other protective equipment are making headlines nationwide as the county grapples with the coronavirus pandemic. Now, some businesses are adapting to help out.

Alene Candles has announced that their Milford production facility has been transformed to make 10,000 face shields. Face shields are in short supply and can help protect doctors, nurses and other health care workers from the virus' spread as they treat patients.

Alene says the 10,000 shields will be donated to first responders and health care facilities across New Hampshire and Maine.

Alene Candles CEO Rod Harl says the company had been brainstorming ways to help during the pandemic, and is able to give back thanks to passionate employees:

"Many of our team members have stepped up to make this effort possible – from our supply chain team working nonstop to secure the scarce materials needed to produce face shields, to our operations and engineering team creating a production plan and our candlemakers who are mastering the new assembly procedures to create the shields. This is truly a team effort to give back to our community."

The face shields are being made using plastic donated by Theroformed Plastics on the condition that some of the produced shields go to Biddeford's Emergency Medical Services. Alene says they're reaching out to other companies hoping for further donations so they can make even more than the initial 10,000 mask run if possible.

About 20 Alene employees are making the shields while the rest remain home to give those employees space for safe social distancing.