“Hello, I have a crazy request unrelated to paint colors...it’s about paint masks!" The message rolled in from an E.R. Doctor. For Marie Crane-Yvon, offering one was simple. Learning how few were available became the challenge. Marie spent days sourcing protection locally, resulting in 31 masks donated to area hospitals and Westfield Firefighters.
Heidi Leonard was parallel on the helper journey and posted to Facebook, “Attention Medical Field, do we need to make these masks locally? ...if so we can start a drive.” Marie reached out to Heidi offering help. On March 22, 2020 they launched with a heartfelt, “Can you Sew?”
THE MISSION
Mask Makers For Westfield was created with great help from The Westfield Firefighters Union 1111. The very first day, the Broad Street Halloween candy bin was repurposed for a safe drop box for Makers. With direction from former Chief Curt Gezotis and current Chief Patrick Engloff, safety measures for sanitizing and distribution were set in place. While guidelines for effective PPE were changing and supplies were waning, it became clear the cloth masks would become critically important to anyone fighting the COVID-19 crisis.
With all effort to keep the city safe, the mission manifested: to support Makers in the Westfield Community with the necessary patterns, materials, and key procedures for donating and delivering to area front line responders. Immediately, the response was overwhelming, Heidi Leonard, Branch Manager at Embrace Home Loans and an avid quilter shared, “We had such an outpouring of requests; on the positive side there were those offering help, the scary side became how many healthcare workers desperately needed masks.”
From the hustle of creating a group, fostering connections with area sewers, managing requests and safely sharing supplies, Marie and Heidi hit the ground running and they have not stopped. Kindness and positivity is abundant. Generous monetary donations have taken care of local shipping of wholesale fabric from The Spare Room Quilt Shop to area sewers. Emergency Management and The Department of Public Health actively help distribute masks and Westifeld Policeman Captain McCabe has traveled door to door, safely receiving and delivering the masks of many colors. Local Makers banded together and devoted their time, skill and resourcefulness; they are truly the heart of this mission.
MAKER’S STORIES
Creating a community on social media has an obvious silver lining: simply knowing we are not alone, and ultimately realizing how many people truly care to make a difference. We can be united by the common threads of life, and we can join together to better understand purpose and struggle. Mask Makers For Westfield honors the good work of the many sewers who showed up to help. Cheryl Denardo is one of them. This is her story.
“Hi All, I am a lifelong resident and business owner of Westfield. Due to a serious medical condition, I had to retire early, but I was fortunate to find “My Calling” by helping and making gowns from wedding dresses for Angel Babies. I now sew all the time and I absolutely love it. As soon as I read that local nurses wanted and needed the masks, I jumped on it. I make them all day, every day. So, I am lucky to be able to do something to help others and keep myself busy.”
Author’s note: 4/20/20 Cheryl has sewn 360 masks and together MMW has sewn nearly 2,300 for their community.