Today officially marked a unique milestone here at Shawangunk Correctional Facility…
Our industrial shop made its one millionth bottle of hand sanitizer. Ever since the Coronavirus outbreak, our facility's industrial shop, which was making Tee-shirts and undershorts, was transformed into a bottling plant in order to meet the increased demand for hand sanitizer, which was already in short supply.
It became a major operation almost overnight. Now about forty-five inmates have been working eight to twelve-hour shifts, six days per week, producing bottles of hand sanitizer which the Department of Corrections is distributing to all State offices, county and town offices, State colleges, and many other places, as fast as they can.
This is really a big human-interest story. Prisoners working tirelessly to produce a product that can help save lives and help many from getting sick. In the cell block I live in, there are a number of men who work in our industrial shop. So I get to speak with them just about every day. They told me that the shop produces about 36,000 bottles of the sanitizer daily.
But as of today, they produced their one millionth bottle. A photographer, from the Department of Corrections' headquarters in Albany, was sent here to photograph one of the shop's workers putting the label on the one millionth bottle.
I think this is an amazing story. Prisoners working hard to produce a product that can reduce a citizen's chances of coming down with the Coronavirus.
If I could say a few words to my fellow convicts who work at Shawangunk's industrial shop, it would be this: "Nice going guys! You're helping save lives. Society may never know this, but God knows and sees all things."
D.B.
See World Magazine - Covid-19 Behind Bars
It became a major operation almost overnight. Now about forty-five inmates have been working eight to twelve-hour shifts, six days per week, producing bottles of hand sanitizer which the Department of Corrections is distributing to all State offices, county and town offices, State colleges, and many other places, as fast as they can.
This is really a big human-interest story. Prisoners working tirelessly to produce a product that can help save lives and help many from getting sick. In the cell block I live in, there are a number of men who work in our industrial shop. So I get to speak with them just about every day. They told me that the shop produces about 36,000 bottles of the sanitizer daily.
But as of today, they produced their one millionth bottle. A photographer, from the Department of Corrections' headquarters in Albany, was sent here to photograph one of the shop's workers putting the label on the one millionth bottle.
I think this is an amazing story. Prisoners working hard to produce a product that can reduce a citizen's chances of coming down with the Coronavirus.
If I could say a few words to my fellow convicts who work at Shawangunk's industrial shop, it would be this: "Nice going guys! You're helping save lives. Society may never know this, but God knows and sees all things."
D.B.
See World Magazine - Covid-19 Behind Bars