Minnesota moms, students sew face masks and surgical caps for health care workers
A group of people connected to The Blake School are sewing face masks and more for health care workers. (FOX 9)
HOPKINS, Minn. (FOX 9) - As efforts ramp up to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, a group of people connected to The Blake School in Hopkins, Minnesota are doing their part to help.
Over the course of two weeks, Mary Guider’s dining room has turned into a one-woman sewing operation.
“As long as I have fabric, I am happy to sew,” said Guider.
She is among a group of more than 20 Blake School moms and some students creating face masks and surgical caps for local health care workers in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The moment one mom expressed interest, everyone was on it immediately,” she said.
With a high demand for personal protective equipment, the group hopes their efforts help fill some of the need.
Using a variety of colors, patterns and prints, so far, Guider has sewn more than 80 masks that some hospitals may turn to if supplies run short for the caregivers on the frontlines.
“It’s amazingly giving of them, generous of their talents and the risk that they are putting on themselves and their families,” said Guider.
The need could grow beyond the health care system as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reportedly weighs recommending the use of face masks in the general public.
Putting needle to thread, Guider says that she's in for the long haul.
“It’s one of the things of giving, said Guider. “It usually helps the giver probably more than the people receiving because it feels good to be able to do something that’s productive and something that I think is fun anyhow. I feel very fortunate.”
While some health experts suggest it's a good idea to wear a cloth mask in public, health officials in Minnesota aren’t on board just yet as their focus remains on health care workers.