Putnamville Correctional Facility seeks fabric and elastic donations

Putnamville Correctional Facility is seeking donations of fabric and elastic to make masks to donate to the community.

Courtesy photo/IDOC

PUTNAMVILLE — As inmates at Putnamville Correctional Facility continue to make fabric masks for the community, the facility is running out of donated materials.

With this in mind, Putnamville is asking for the public’s help.

Citizens can make a difference by donating 100-percent cotton material, hair ties and elastic. The hair ties have been found to be a suitable substitute for elastic if needed since elastic is somewhat scarce right now.

The production within the correctional setting is meeting the needs of the community by producing thousands of masks for first responders, hospitals, local emergency management agencies, law enforcement agencies, medical clinics, grocery store staff, pharmacies and military personnel.

The Indiana Department of Correction has plenty of offenders who want to help fight the COVID-19 pandemic but needs help for production to continue.

Anyone who would like to donate items for masks may contact IDOC Community Service Director Jackie Storm at dstorm@idoc.in.gov or 812-398-5050, Extension 3117. She will assist with the donation process.

As widely reported, face masks have been in short supply for health professionals as well as for the public. This is why the Indiana Department of Correction began and continues to manufacture face masks in prison facilities. As of April 17 face masks had been supplied to each IDOC prison facility, with all 27,000 offenders and 6,000 staff receiving a mask.

IDOC continues to produce masks. These donations have not interrupted the supply chain of personal protective equipment to IDOC facilities.