GREENVILLE, S.C. (WTVD) -- Several Pepsi bottling companies across the Carolinas are donating bottles to help medical workers fight COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
According to a news release from Carolina Canners, a production co-op for Pepsi bottlers in North and South Carolina, a nurse practitioner in Greenville, S.C., asked if Pepsi of Greenville would donate a few 2-liter Pepsi bottles to her husband, who was fashioning them into face shields for medical workers.
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The nurse told Pepsi the bottles were the perfect shape for the masks.
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After an image of the prototype was shared with other hospitals, the bottling companies including Pepsi of Florence and Minges Bottling Group of Ayden, N.C., stepped up to donate more than 1,200 bottles in total.
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"When three different hospital systems contacted us about providing two liter bottles in order to make medical face shields, we were more than happy to assist" said Jeff Stevens, CEO of Carolina Canners Inc, in a written statement. "It really warmed my heart to know that, in addition to providing much needed beverages for families in our communities during this difficult time, we could offer assistance to local medical professionals. They truly are the heroes, and we feel honored to help them in any way."
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According to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, the state only received 113,184 face shields out of 500,000 requested from the federal stockpile.