Jacksonville company starts mass producing and donating medical supplies

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A national company, headquartered in Jacksonville, is using their factory to mass produce and donate medical supplies desperately needed here in the US.

Venus Fashion is now helping those on the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic.

“About a week ago, part of our lines started doing masks for hospitals and local organizations that were in need,” explains Pam Kimball, Director of Swim, Intimates, & Sleepwear at Venus.

Venus would usually be making swimwear on all of their factory lines, but now they have 40 sewers creating much needed medical masks instead.

The first 1000 made are heading to St. Joseph’s Hospital in Paterson, New Jersey. It’s a hospital that desperately needs them.

Luckily, more is on the way.

“We have fabric ready to cut and roll this week with over another 2700 units that we will roll out of our facility and be sent to a number of different partners,” explains Kimball.

But now they say UF Health is asking for isolation gowns too. So, they’re about to start production on those this week.

Kimball says, “They came to me today and asked if we would be willing to set up some lines to do isolation gowns which seem to be the next new sort of desperate need of product in the medical field.”

It’s a company able to adjust to the ever-changing needs here the US -- one that’s proud to help those fighting this pandemic firsthand.

“There’s not a lot of sewing factories left in the US and I’ve been pretty proud of this team who is very flexible and agile.” ​

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