Building community
Art by SAMANTHA HO
NEIGHBORS COME TOGETHER
Even during a pandemic, Palo Alto residents are finding ways to reach out to one another. They are making masks, decorating their streets with art and games and organizing food drives for those in need. They are finding ways to spread positivity and stay connected, albeit from a distance.
Masks from scratch
Text by KYLIE MIES
MASK OF HOPE SEWS AND SNIPS
T
HE RECOMMENDATION of “Masks Strongly Advised” stunned Americans in shelter in place. Foreign to most Americans, masks are believed to belong in hospitals and construction. In Taiwan, however, masks have been a staple precautionary item to slow the spread of disease for decades. The Taiwanese American community of Palo Alto recognized and understood the importance of masks from the onset of the
FABRIC SNIP — Alexis Chiu, a Palo Alto High School freshman cuts cloth in her home. “Our family donates fabric and I help to cut the fabric for the masks.” Photo by Elena Chiu
10 JUNE 2020
pandemic, thus, sparking the creation of at doorsteps, and masks for donation are a new organization, Mask of Hope. Mask picked up at houses. of Hope aims to make and distribute face The involvement of middle school and masks to people of need in the Bay Area. high school students has been an importAs of April 24, Mask of Hope has do- ant part of the Mask of Hope program. It nated 722 cloth masks and 2,885 single-use is a bonding experience with the students masks to groups in and their parents and need, including the ela way to give back to The most rewarding derly, local stores and their communities essential workers. part is recognizing the from the safety of “Our group starttheir homes. fabrics that I cut and ed with a few parents “It is my belief and students from seeing that they are go- that the cloth masks Greene Middle School that Masks of Hope ing to help someone.” and now has grown — ALEXIS CHIU, freshman are making are exto almost 30 contribtremely helpful in utors,” Olivia Chen, these times when we a Greene parent and one of the original need protection from a virus,” Julian Chen, members of Mask of Hope, said. Olivia Chen’s son and student at Green The trying times of quarantine and Middle School, said. “The mask making Chen’s advertising on social media grew also serves as a welcome distraction from Mask of Hope’s membership and made the quarantine.” it into a community effort that anybody The whole organization made by just could participate in. a few parents and children has created so “We have people donating money to much good in the community with just cover materials that are becoming hard fabric and thread. to procure like thread, fabric and elastic,” “The most rewarding part is recognizChen said. “Some are helping to cut fabric ing the fabrics that I cut and seeing that because they can’t sew.” they are going to help The distribution of materials is com- someone,” Palo Alto High pletely contactless. Bags filled with sew- School freshman Alexis ing materials and fabric are dropped off Chiu said. v
“
