SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A group of friends from Del Norte High School in 4S Ranch have turned their summer boredom into a way to help others.
Andrew Zhang, Jerry Wu, Nick Genovese and Rishi Peddakama are 3D printing face shields and donating them to local hospitals.
"I guess we were all just kind of feeling like restless and we needed to do something during this like difficult time," Zhang says on why he and his friends decided to start making PPE from scratch.
The boys have turned their summertime hobby into a new non-profit, Shield Our Health Heroes. Their website has a place for donations, and all of the money goes towards materials for more face shields.
So far, they've raised enough money to donate 750 face shields to 10 local hospitals.
"We've been told multiple times that our shields fit better and are better quality than a lot of the shields that they're getting," says Genovese.
"I really think we are making an impact in our community," adds WU. "Our products are actually really helping these health care workers who need these."
The four friends each brought their unique talents to the group effort. Andrew came up with the idea and has spearheaded the project. Rishi built the website and set up the donation PayPal account. Jerry does all of the social media and advertising. Nick contacts the hotels and sets up the deliveries.
"We try to make it hassle free for them," says Peddakama.
"We just really want to give back during this time," says Zhang. "And this helps make sure they're staying safe as well."
