ANN ARBOR – Kevin Leeser has been active in organizing donations of PPE since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, and now that includes cleaning supplies. Leeser, who launched Operation Face Shield Ann Arbor, recently donated 500 face shields to the Lakota people in South Dakota who have experienced high case numbers. After they asked for cleaning supplies for their quarantined members, Leeser decided to rally the local community to donate supplies, which he is delivering himself this week. Read: Ann Arbor’s Operation Face Shield surpasses 50K donationsFor those who wish to donate funds, tax deductible donations can still be made to “Operation Face Shield” via CashApp. Local businesses Jerusalem Garden and Stadium Hardware donated supplies over the weekend.

ANN ARBOR – At the onset of the coronavirus pandemic in Michigan in March, local residents launched Operation Face Shield in response to the shortage of personal protective equipment. Operation Face Shield organizer Kevin Leeser said the group just surpassed 50,000 donations -- about enough to fill the stands in the old Tigers stadium. Operation Face Shield teamed up with medical relief Global Links to send the PPE to Nicaragua and Honduras. Ricardo mass-produced thousands of films, and combined with the invention of an injection mold at Ferris State University which could churn out six frames a minute, Operation Face Shield went from small at-home effort to large-scale operation. Leeser said that Operation Face Shield currently has 2,000 shields ready to donate.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released updated guidelines for selecting, wearing and cleaning face masks for the coronavirus pandemic. The update was released Aug. 27. The CDC continues to recommend that you wear masks in public settings “around people who don’t live in your household and when you can’t stay 6 feet away from others.” Masks help stop the spread of COVID-19 to others, the CDC maintains. In Michigan, it has been the law to wear masks in public buildings and spaces since the governor’s order was issued in July. Find the CDC’s complete face masks recommendations/guidelines here.

ANN ARBOR – The Ann Arbor District Library announced this week that it has joined forces with Operation Face Shield Ann Arbor to print protective gear for those on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic. Operation Face Shield Ann Arbor is a public Facebook group that was launched less than two weeks ago. The three hole punch model that Operation Face Shield Ann Arbor is printing was modified by an engineering student at Skyline High School. A permanent drive-up donation site has been established in the parking lot of Ann Arbor Distilling Company. Ann Arbor Distilling Company is at 220 Felch St.For more information, join the Facebook group or visit its website.