MRG3D founder, Michael Guinn, with FCDI Executive Director, Terri Willingham
The Foundation for Community Driven Innovation is pleased and honored to have been able to facilitate over $20,000 in funding and donations to support the MRG3D Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) project organized by Tampa Department of Defense Engineer, Michael Guinn. Mr. Guinn’s project has been an extraordinary 24/7 volunteer effort which he has run non-stop for over 50 days now, and has produced and delivered tens of thousands of protective face shields to area hospitals and health care workers at no cost to them
When Mr. Guinn reached out to FCDI’s AMRoC Fab Lab in March for help coordinating off-site volunteers, we were happy to support him however possible. Off-site community volunteers now number over 25 people, running 50 remote 3D printers and contributing 200 shields a week to the effort, which continues to supply needed PPE across Tampa Bay, and now in Lakeland, Ocala and Sarasota as well. In addition to financial support, FCDI has also helped coordinate the donation of over 300 rolls of donated filament from Ultimate 3D Printing Store, and cases of gloves and cleaning supplies from other donors.
This has been a stressful time for many, especially front line health care workers who put their lives on the line daily. The politics of why the PPE is needed is a separate story for other venues. The human story of how we pull together to fill institutional and social gaps is ours, and we’re awed and humbled by the outpouring of support from volunteers and donors to help us keep helping others.
Mr. Guinn and his MRG3D team are amazing, and we hope to continue working with them for a long time to come. Visit AMROCTampaBay.com to see how you can volunteer or get involved with continued PPE production efforts, and visit MRG3D on Facebook to follow along with Mr. Guinn’s project and volunteer there.
Thank you again to all our amazing donors and partners, including United Way Suncoast, the Cel, Ultimate 3D Printing Store, Lily Pharmacy , to Team AMRoC for donating their Deconstruction award money, and to private contributors and our many volunteers!