On April 20th, Bennett Packaging in Lee’s Summit delivered 500 face shields to the Lee’s Summit Fire Department headquarters. The shields will be distributed among all seven Lee’s Summit fire stations, as well as the police department for first responders to use as a barrier of protection amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is absolutely great, especially since Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is very hard to get right now,” said Assistant Fire Chief Arby Todd. “The First Responders really appreciate the business and public support during this time.”

Bennett Packaging is a Lee’s Summit businesses that usually designs and manufactures corrugated boxes and displays. However, when the shortage of (PPE) came into focus, the team at Bennett began looking for ways to help.

President & CEO Kathy Bennett said her design team came up with a design for the face shields that they could produce on the company’s die cutters and assemble at its co-packing and fulfillment facility. Once the face shields were produced, Bennett reached out to the Lee’s Summit Economic Development Council (LSEDC) to help coordinate a donation to the Lee’s Summit fire and police departments.

“Lee’s Summit has been a great place to live and do business for many years,” said Bennett. “Through the years, we have had occasion to need the services of the Lee’s Summit Police and Fire departments. They were always there for us and we wanted to be there for them.”

LSEDC President & CEO Rick McDowell said Bennett Packaging’s donation is a good example of the community-centered spirit of Lee’s Summit businesses.

“The response from our businesses during the pandemic has been outstanding,” said Rick McDowell, LSEDC President & CEO. “We are proud to be home to innovative businesses like Bennett Packaging who look for ways to quickly adapt to support the community during times such as these.”