COOPERSBURG, Pa. (WLVT) - Hundreds of seamsters in the Lehigh Valley are pulling together to sew masks for healthcare workers on the front line.
The idea came from a woman named Ruth Dennison, who is a retired oncology nurse. She started a Facebook group to find out how many people in the valley were willing and able to help sew masks for healthcare professionals. In only 10 days, the Facebook group, Mask Force Sewing Community, has roughly 1,800 members.
Dennison’s friend and member of the group, Joan Zachary, said the masks will be used to put over the N-95 to help it last longer. “She told me about a critical shortage of face masks in the hospitals and in the medical areas of the Lehigh Valley,” said Zachary.
The pattern for the mask was developed by the Fab Lab at Northampton Community College, and you can click here to download it. Joann Fabrics also pitched in to help, by donating a truckload of material for the Mask Force to use.
If you or someone you know wants to get involved and make masks, click here to visit the Mask Force website. You can also click here for a list of locations to drop off masks or pick up kits.