A teacher who turned his home into a PPE factory during the pandemic was honored with a new car

(CNN) When health care workers were running out of personal protective equipment as the coronavirus pandemic spread across the United States, a middle school shop teacher in New Jersey decided he had to help.

Jason Erdreich turned his own home into a factory where he used 3D printers to make thousands of masks for his community during the pandemic.

"I mean I had to," Erdreich, 26, told CNN. "I had the resources to help, I was able to help, I couldn't not help others that were doing so much to help us. Front line workers were, and are, doing so much to care for us, someone needs to make sure they are taken care of too. I'm glad I was able to contribute to that."

Now Erdreich is one of 50 people chosen by Mazda to receive a new Mazda MX-5 Miata 100th Anniversary Special Edition for their "selfless acts, creative thinking, and contributions to community," the company announced in a press release earlier this week.

Erdreich teaches woodworking, manufacturing, and robotics at Madison Junior School in Madison, New Jersey. He was nominated by his wife, Cara Erdreich, for the award, after he collected 15 3D printers from his school, hooked them up in their living room, and printed masks day and night.