San Diego-based sunglasses brand, Blenders Eyewear, is devoting a portion of its manufacturing to make 10,000 safety goggles to donate to area hospitals amid the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Founded in 2012 by San Diego State University alum Chase Fisher, Blenders Eyewear is a sunglasses and lifestyle company based in San Diego's Pacific Beach. Last December, Italian eyewear giant Safilo Group purchased a 70% stake in Blenders at a $90 million valuation, leaving the remaining 30 percent with Fisher.
"Our thoughts are with the doctors, nurses, and medical staff coping with patient surge and putting themselves in harm’s way for the sake of the greater good," said Blenders Eyewear CEO Chase Fisher. "As a community, we all have a responsibility to flatten the curve and lower the peak of this virus."
Blenders announced that it will produce and donate 10,000 goggles to hospitals in San Diego and Los Angeles, including 2,000 pairs to Sharp Healthcare, 3,500 to Scripps Health, 4,000 to UCLA Medical Center, and will provide an additional 500 pairs to friends and family on the frontlines. The safety goggles are FDA-approved medical devices and will be delivered by April 15. The company is also offering 5% off all sales throughout the month of April that will go to Direct Relief - a humanitarian aid organization helping provide personal protective equipment and essential medical items to health workers responding to COVID-19. Through this partnership, Blenders hopes to provide an additional 20,000 pairs of goggles to high-need regions in the United States.
For more information about Blenders Eyewear, visit blenderseyewear.com.
