Whitefield
ProKnee, which normally manufactures custom-fit professional kneepads for construction workers, switched to making reusable face shields for first responders and medical workers.
Lewiston
An employee at Baxter Brewing Co. started making protective face masks. Beer and masks are available for local delivery and curbside pickup, and all proceeds from mask sales go to Good Shepherd Food Bank.
Portland
After Opera Maine postponed its 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic, the theater company started producing Opera in ME, a web series that features baritone Robert Mellon and special guests giving behind-the-scenes looks into the world of opera.
Saco
The Ecology School launched a new web tutorial series, Nature Nuggets, to help kids explore topics in environmental science — watersheds, decomposition, pollinators, and more — from the safety of their own backyards.
Naples
Joanna Moore and other local volunteers started Share the Love: LR, a Facebook group that helps volunteers coordinate with Lakes Region residents in need of meals, health-care supplies, and other assistance.
Orono
The University of Maine and the Maine Manufacturing Extension Partnership designed clear plastic boxes that fit around a patient’s head, shielding medical workers from airborne germs as they intubate or transport patients who may have COVID-19. Maine-based manufacturers, including Plas-Tech and Thermoformed Plastics of New England, are now producing the boxes.
Hampden
Chef Brian Ross started Quarantine Kitchen, a Facebook page for professional chefs and home cooks to share recipes, cooking videos, and food pics. Within a month, it had more than 8,000 members and 5,000 posts.
Eliot
Mainely Mutts Animal Rescue is selling hats, T-shirts, and other apparel to help cover veterinary bills incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic by True North Animal Transport, which brings dogs from the South to Maine for adoption. True North’s founder, Heather Hobby, was profiled in the July 2019 issue of Down East.