Kickstart: Free Food Fridays for workers, community

A Texas molder is supporting both its employees and other community businesses by buying lunch at struggling restaurants to treat its workers on Free Food Fridays.

"We are looking how we can spend locally now more than ever. Our biggest focus is to continue to provide jobs, keep our customers happy and help our community during this crisis," said Thomas Houdeshell, president and CEO of All-Plastics, an injection molder with plants in Addison and Kerrville, Texas.

All-Plastics is a supplier to the medical and pharmaceutical markets, so it is an essential manufacturer. It is even hiring during the panedemic.

All-Plastics worked with economic development corporations to identify businesses needing a boost. On Free Food Fridays, the company orders food, which is then distributed in a "grab and go" basis so employees can still maintain social distancing.

The free food also provides an extra incentive to those front-line workers at the company, Houdeshell said.

In addition to supporting restaurants, All-Plastics is sourcing locally from nearby businesses for employee face masks, cleaning supplies, toiletries and other items. It has asked local companies to reach out if they carry something that will be of use.

Houdeshell said the incentive will continue throughout the pandemic.

Not every company has to work on its own to make a difference.

Frank Esposito has a story about how multiple companies and colleges in the Erie, Pa., and Cleveland area joined forces to make face shields.

It began in late March when injection molder Port Erie Plastics Inc. of Harborcreek, Pa., was contacted by Case Western Reserve University of Cleveland.

CWRU was working with Cleveland-based design firm Nottingham Spirk to find a way to make the shields.

Add in the plastics engineering program at Penn State-Behrend in Erie, Pa., and Erie-based companies Munot Plastics Inc. and Bliley Technologies Inc. and you have a team that is making 7,000 shields per day.

"We can do more good together than separately," Port Erie General Manager Sean Connole said.

Petoskey Plastics Inc. was one of the early plastics companies to adjust production to supply medical workers fighting the coronavirus.

The company in Petoskey, Mich., began making protective gowns on a film line that had been making protective seat covers for the auto industry and distributing them through the McLaren Northern Michigan medical system.

And now the McLaren staff is thanking the company, using the social media platform TikTok (though also viewable on other platforms such as Facebook for those of us who really don't need to download another app).

A reminder here that you can send me photos of your home office setup to share. The idea here isn't the perfect Pintrest office, but the reality of the sudden "work from home" shift. You can drop me an email at [email protected] and thanks!