While we are all looking forward to the days of seeing full faces and mask-free smiles and walking through our towns and along the shore with less worry and anxiety, we still have some work to do on tackling the virus and must continue to commit to protecting ourselves and each other.
One young Marblehead resident has taken it upon himself to encourage safety and healthy action by creating, in collaboration with the team at Savilino Design, a face mask that is high quality, made of durable fabrics and strong elastics and nose wires, and that also celebrates the community he loves so dearly. Each mask is carefully designed, stitched and branded with a an imprint of the famous Marblehead Light, the only square skeleton tower in all of New England and situated on Marblehead Neck. Below the light on each mask is the date of town settlement, 1629.
But the best part about the MHD masks: this young resident is donating ten hours of local beach and trail cleanup for every 100 masks sold. This creative social entrepreneur doesn’t mind the hours, though. He shares that he would rather be spending his summer on the beaches and exploring parks and trails than staying cooped up at home and worrying about the pandemic.
When asked about how he came up with the idea, he shares that as soon as he moved to Marblehead with his mother last July in the middle of the pandemic, he knew they had found their forever home. He fell in love with the spirit and energy of the town and understood immediately why there is so much Marblehead town pride. “It’s a pretty special place,” he says, “and after so much work getting here, I knew I wanted to make an impact on the Marblehead story, myself.”
Local retailers in Marblehead who are selling the masks are committed to doing their part, too, and the larger MHDmask team is arranging collaborative beach and trail cleaning efforts throughout the summer. If you are in town, stop in at Shubie’s Marketplace on Atlantic Avenue, Blue Canoe Café on School Street, The Spotted Hound on Washington Street or Ray Art, also on Atlantic Avenue, for your MHDmask. Doug Shube, family member and leader on the Shubie’s team, quickly agreed to carry the masks.
“We always love working with local, young entrepreneurs,” says Shube, “and this just seemed like a great fit for Shubie’s. The masks are stylish, comfortable, and are keeping our coastline clean with their clean-up initiative. It’s a win-win!” All proceeds go back to beach and trail cleanup, parking passes, equipment and supplies.
Sagan Harborside Realty managing partner, Mike Cannuscio, was an early supporter of the project and purchased a hundred masks to gift to home buyers, sellers, and fellow agents and brokers. When asked about this project and its founder, Cannuscio shares with enthusiasm, “It has been wonderful to see him take the initiative to create, promote, and sell his masks and also donate his time and energy to clean up the local beaches. He is an impressive young man who has made big impact on his new community in a short time.” We couldn’t agree more!
For those who can’t make it into Marblehead to purchase from retailers there, masks can be found online. Once masks are less of a priority for us all, this creative kid says he may have a few new ideas up his sleeve, including branded aprons and totes. Follow @mhdmask on Instagram for new merchandise, trash clearing updates, and protects and initiatives this team is excited about.
To purchase an MHD mask, head to savilino.com/products/the-marblehead-mask.