HOLMDEL, NJ — Earlier this week, Patch asked our readers to submit any local “coronavirus heroes,” people who are going above and beyond during this time and may not be getting the recognition the deserve.
And the reasons why Holmdel resident Jane Weisfeld nominated her husband, Mathew Weisfeld, are pretty interesting:
Ever since the quarantine began, Mat has been going non-stop, turning his Cliffwood factory into a makeshift COVID-response center, from which he makes homemade hand sanitizer, face masks, intubation boxes and more.
He drops off everything at local hospitals, entirely for free.
Mathew actually used to be a teacher at Holmdel High School before he took over his family’s business, VPI Industries, which makes turntables from the Cliffwood factory. Now, with business very quiet in the shutdown, he has lots of time on his hands to tool around in his workshop, make and invent things, says his wife.
“When the governor shut down all the stores, my husband started marking hand sanitizer,” she said. “It is 80 percent alcohol as laid out by the FDA and CDC. He has been getting his alcohol by driving up to Flemington once a week to a distillery and buying their supplies.”
“He’s delivered them to local hospitals, first responders, nonprofit organizations and essential workers. He posted pictures on Facebook and offered to mail it to anyone who needs it,” she said.
So far, Mathew has donated his homemade hand sanitizer to Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, Riverview in Redbank, Monmouth Medical in Long Branch, CentraState in Freehold, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick and Lincoln Hospital Medical Center in the Bronx. He is currently trying to drop it off at an unnamed Harlem hospital.
Mathew has also been busy making what’s called “intubation boxes,” which are now commonly used in New Jersey hospitals to intubate someone (put them on a ventilator) without doctors being exposed to the virus.
“After getting contact with the people who work on the front lines, he realized that they needed more. So he started to make face shields, as well making 100 intubation boxes. The doctor can place the box over the patient’s whole head, so if they cough of sneeze it will mitigate the spread of contamination,” she explained. “Mat drove into the city two weeks ago to deliver 30 of these boxes to Lincoln Hospital, along with sanitizer and face shields. Mat has gotten these boxes delivered all over New Jersey.”
He doesn’t stop there: Mat is current working on designing a tool for people to use that will open doors, touch screens and other surfaces to prevent the transferring of COVID-19.
“His passion and ideas never stop. People may get bored staying at home, but he is always on the move,” said his wife. “Mat is a person who cares about everyone. Her tries his best to help anyone to make them happy.”
This article originally appeared on the Holmdel-Hazlet Patch