We all know that personal care items like toilet paper and hand sanitizer are in high demand and short supply right now. There’s also a shortage of N95 surgical masks, the kind that can filter particles as small as the coronavirus, in the United States. These local businesses are stepping up to help.

Nauti Spirits Distillery is working with Partners Pharmacy in Springfield, NJ to develop 80% ethanol hand sanitizer for first responders and healthcare providers. It’s made from alcohol they distilled from corn and sweet potatoes earlier this year.

The clothing store Miss Demeanor is sewing surgical masks to donate to hospitals. These masks aren’t effective against something as small as coronavirus, but they can be used for other purposes, freeing up the N95 masks for people who need them.

Want to help? You can buy a mask on their website to help cover funds: $15 covers their costs to make ten.

Cape May Wicker’s wholesale division, NorthCape, has stopped making cushions and is using their equipment to make medical masks and gowns. 

Speaking of masks, Cape Regional Medical Center is looking for mask and protective gown donations. To arrange drop off, please call Ray Wisniewski at 609-463-2289 or Tom Piratzky at 609-463-4042. If you want to make your own masks to donate, Cape Regional posted a link to a how-to video on Facebook.

If you’ve seen other Cape May businesses stepping up to help, let us know about it so we can celebrate it.