Local Heroes
Essential Worker Creates Face Masks for Others in Her Downtime
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ssential worker Linda Conway of West Orange has not only been going to work daily throughout the pandemic, she has made face masks for over 500 people—for free. Conway lives with one of her daughters and her son and self-isolates to avoid catching COVID-19 and bringing it home. To keep busy, she sews face masks. At first, Linda made masks for her large family, sending some as far away as California and Chicago. She then created masks for colleagues, policemen, teachers, her bowling team, former classmates, senior citizen buildings in East Orange and more. Soon, people began reaching out and asking her to make masks for them.
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Suburban Essex
Lately, Linda has been working with another one of her daughters, Lauren Salvatoriello, a special education teacher at Kelly Elementary School in West Orange, to create masks that Lauren’s students like. “Many of Lauren’s students don’t like wearing masks and tend to remove them,” says Linda. “I have been creating masks with sliders that don’t cause irritation to see if that helps.” “This pandemic has truly brought out the best in a lot of us,” says Lauren. “Every day, people are heroes in their own ways. My mom’s giving nature sprung into action as soon as she realized there was a need for masks for everyone. She has never turned anyone away, and always delivers on my requests including masks for my special needs students.”
March 2021
Linda Conway showcases one of the more than 500 masks she has sewn and given away for free throughout the pandemic. Linda doesn’t charge for the masks, and credits her boss and parents for setting a charitable example that she strives to emulate. “People have asked if they can pay me, but I won’t accept money,” she says. “I just want to give back.”
