Volunteers transfer work skills to help ‘Atlanta Beat COVID’

ATLANTA - Brett Lanius spends several hours a day operating a laser cutter in Marietta making sure every plastic shield is cut to exact specifications. He's one of the many volunteers with the new group Atlanta Beats COVID. They come together across metro Atlanta to make Personal Protective Equipment--using skills they have, but no longer get paid for during the coronavirus pandemic.

“I'm basically unemployed for the long term. I haven’t been to work since February,” said Lanius, who works in the film industry. “People want to be productive and turn our skills around to do that. It’s better than sitting around watching reruns all day.”

The work is done at Maker Stations--mini-factories in Marietta, Decatur and Roswell stocked with all sorts of tools and equipment. Members pay a monthly fee to use the facilities but volunteer their time to help the new organization. 

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“To be able to turn our skills into a way to help in this crisis means a lot. That’s why people here have rallied around that idea,” said Lanius.

Sean Mills, a volunteer coordinator for Atlanta Beats COVID, told FOX 5 the teams of volunteers at the Marietta, Decatur and Roswell Maker Stations have made and delivered about 10,000 PPE's to metro Atlanta healthcare workers, first responders, and others on the frontlines of the coronavirus fight. Now, the group is expanding its production role by having volunteers cut and sew gowns out of material approved by nurses.

“We just want people to know we care and that we’re out here working. If they need us, reach out to us and if they can help us, we need them to reach out to us as well,” said Mills. For more information on how to help or how to order personal protective equipment, visit AtlantaBeatsCovid.com.

RELATED: CoronavirusNOW.com, FOX launches national hub for COVID-19 news and updates.

Live map: Tracking coronavirus in Georgia

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