CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Masks will be given away at the Marshalltown Police and Fire facility on Wednesday and Friday. Made by the Raymon-Donco company in Albion, the masks will be provided for free to the public.

A local businessman said Tuesday he hopes to continue mask giveaways as long as needed in the Marshalltown community.

Larry Raymon, CEO of the Raymon-Donco company in Albion, repurposed his plant operations to produce non-medical fabric task masks for the community. On Saturday, 700 free masks were distributed in 30 minutes.

“I was absolutely amazed to see the traffic and the folks that turned out,” Raymon said. “Obviously this was a need that was not being met. A lot of the credit goes to Smokin’ G’s. They were Johnny-on-the-spot when I asked them to be a part of it.”

From 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday and Friday, more masks will be distributed at the Marshalltown Police and Fire building at 909 S. Second St.

Raymon said the project would not have been possible without his employees and the efforts of Smokin’ G’s, Marshalltown Police Department Chief Mike Tupper, Sign Creations and Marshalltown radio stations. The Times-Republican joined the effort as a business partner this week.

Raymon said he wanted to help the community any way he could during the COVID-19 pandemic, so some of the production time at his company was devoted to the sewing and creation of masks.

“I wanted to be part of the solution to keep the pandemic numbers down in Marshall County,” he said.

The employees were quick to participate in the cause, and Raymon wants to hire additional experienced seamstresses. How long the effort will last, Raymon does not know.