When a few packages from Amazon were delivered on the front porch of Jillian Cannan‘s Buffalo, New York, home, the mom of four and small business owner said she didn’t think anything of it.
“My [business] partner said she didn’t order them either, but we’re so busy that I thought I’ll deal with this when I get a minute,” Cannan told ABC’s Good Morning America. “The next day another package came and I reached out to Amazon about the mistake.”
Cannan said Amazon told her they put in a ticket to escalate her inquiry about the mistake and not to worry about returning the packages.
As the days went on, however, more and more packages arrived at Cannan’s house, often at night or during the work day when she wasn’t there to receive them.
Over the course of a week, Cannan said around 150 packages were delivered to her house, none of which she had ordered.
Finally, in mid-June, Cannan said Amazon told her they were able to get the shipments stopped — just before thousands of packages were set to ship.
Inside the boxes delivered to Cannan’s home were thousands of face mask brackets, items made of silicone that people put inside their face masks to allow more space for breathing.
Once Amazon told her the packages did not need to be returned, Cannan said her “wheels started turning.”
She decided to package the brackets into DIY face mask kits and deliver them to local children’s hospitals, where face masks are still strictly required due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Her small business, Loaded Lumber, a creative studio in Buffalo, will also donate paint and art supplies for the kits.
Amazon did not reply to ABC News’ request for comment.