Moldings and More has been in West Kelowna for 13 years, manufacturing display cases and picture frames.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit near home, a customer asked for a favor that turned into a project to give back to the community.
Tracy Spooner, a sales rep for the company, said the client asked if he could create a barrier protecting his wife, who works at a bank.
“As a customer favor, we basically created the very first barrier. So it’s on the counter and it’s an acrylic-fronted display unit with a hole cut out so the debit machine can go back and forth, ”she said.
“But it created a barrier when someone sneezed or coughed or something.”
She added that once the barrier was installed it would snowball from there. Now the Moldings and More employees are working to make Plexiglas barriers for various businesses that may need them, including grocery stores, gas stations, law firms, banks, and other places where a frontline employee may need to face the public.
She said they are all committed to making the barriers because they all have personal connections with frontline workers. Spooner’s own daughter is a grocer and is considered an indispensable worker. At the same time, she said that they are also safety conscious and want to do their part in slowing down COVID-19.
In addition to helping protect frontline workers, Spooner wanted to give back to the community by donating 20 percent of net profits to local food banks.
She said they have currently managed to raise approximately $ 2,500, with Lakeview Market in Kelowna aiming to donate an additional $ 500.
“We immediately promised that we would give everything we did like this back to the community where the companies were located. So if you’re in Penticton and you’ve hired us, the Penticton will receive the donation and so on. “
“We are very blessed that many places have asked us to install the barrier in different areas. So we went to Kamloops, Cranbrook, Vernon and Penticton. “
Spooner said they take directions and measurements over the phone and text to keep personal contact to a minimum.
“Basically, we need to know the counter space, the height they need, and where the hole needs to be,” she said.
The barriers come with a cleaning kit and care instructions. Spooner said they also provide floor stickers that indicate where customers should stand when at checkout or registration.
If you know others who are giving back and helping those in need during this critical time, send us an email and let us know!
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Twila Amato
Video journalist, Black Press Okanagan
Coronavirus
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