2 minute read
“The Mask Crusaders”
By Paula Filler
As the coronavirus pandemic started, Sherry and Autumn Mowatt, the TwinEagles’ mother and daughter duo, immediately jumped into action by sewing washable, cotton face masks, which were desperately needed, but hard to find. Initially, the masks were delivered to family, friends, neighbors and, most importantly, front-line medical personnel. TwinEagles neighbors offered to cut and prep materials for the project, while family, friends and neighbors donated funds to purchase the maskmaking materials. Others donated fabric and supplies to the cause as materials for masks have been scarce at times.
Sal and Donna Pontillo, Mary and Jim Mower and I donated time and energies to making curbside pickups for fabric and supplies. To speed production, Mary Mower joined in the sewing venture by cutting and preparing the materials for more than 1,000 masks.
With generous donations, the Mowatts set their sights on sewing masks for as long as there was a need. Paula Filler was enlisted to identify some of the neediest in the Greater Naples community. The target was to serve those who could not afford to purchase washable face masks.
The team produced and delivered close to 100 face masks for Holocaust survivors and other food-insecure and frail elderly, who are supported by the Naples Senior Center. Another 150 washable face masks were donated to The Shelter for Abused Women & Children, for both its Naples and Immokalee locations.
Another local not-for-profit organization, which distributes food to families on a weekly basis, requested masks to include in deliveries. The families served live in very crowded conditions and were extremely grateful to receive their families’ portion of 500 face masks crafted to fit each family member.
In early July, Collier County Public Schools (CCPS) had not yet announced a provision to distribute face masks for schoolchildren, who, at that time, were expected to return to class in early August. An estimated 500 of the 48,000 children in CCPS are at high risk for the coronavirus, due to existing health conditions. These children are also part of the county’s food support program at school.
To meet the urgent need to provide a very high-quality, triple-layer face mask for children at risk, the mask must fit snuggly on different-sized elementary, middle and high school students. This requires crafting 1,000 washable face masks in various sizes. Each child needs at least two masks, so that one mask can be washed every night and a dry, clean mask is ready for school the next day.
With such a big task at hand, additional volunteers stepped in to help with their skills, energies and donated materials. These heroines are from the Naples Quilt Guild, the Women’s Cultural Alliance of Jewish Federation of Greater Naples and TwinEagles residents. They are still hard at work, making great progress in producing the 1,000 triple-layer washable face masks for the schoolchildren at risk.
This team of seamstresses and volunteers has been dubbed “The Mask Crusaders” and they are on a COVID-19 mission!
