Locals lend helping hand during pandemic
Julie Thompson-Kelly sets aside her stack of sewing for the night. She and her mother Patricia Thompson have spent the last two weeks creating and donating more than 100 homemade medical masks. (Photo courtesy Julie Thompson-Kelly)
Some of the homemade medical masks Julie Thompson-Kelly and her mother Patricia Thompson have spent the last two weeks creating and donating. (Photo courtesy Julie Thompson-Kelly)
Crafty people all across the nation are stitching together their best efforts to help supply health-care workers facing shortages with homemade medical masks.
Like many of the other creative volunteers in Mineral County, Superior resident Julie Thompson-Kelly has been at her sewing machine doing her part to meet this special need.
“I read about a challenge from a hospital to make the masks and donate them to local hospitals, as there has been a national shortage,” Thompson-Kelly said.
She added “I love to sew and now that I have extra time on my hands, it is the perfect opportunity for me to do my part to help even in this small way during this uncertain time.”
Thompson-Kelly is a Behaviorist Specialist at St. Regis High School. While missing her students she has kept busy in her sewing room during the statewide school closures.
She is also working alongside her mother, Patricia Thompson, following a pattern put out by Deaconess Hospital in Indiana.
Under the Centers for Disease Control protocol that if all other supplies are unavailable, these handmade masks meet certain criteria and are acceptable for medical personnel use. Thompson-Kelly even added two layers of light fusible interfacing for extra protection.
Not counting the time it takes to cut out material and iron on the fusible layer, a mask can produced in about 10 minutes. They are relatively easy to make for someone with years of sewing skills and experience.
So far, they have sent masks to work with Kelly’s husband Jack, at St. Patrick’s Hospital. The local post office has received several for their interactions with the public.
Many more were donated to Mineral Community Hospital and the St. Regis Clinic. Local residents have also requested them for personal use and others planned to ship them out of state.
Thompson-Kelly said that it’s been a family and community effort.
“My mom is helping me with this, my youngest daughter Hailey has made several trips to Joann Fabrics for me, my oldest daughter Heather has helped cut out and iron on interfacing. Also, I see that Anita Parkin has been making them. Others have asked if they can help,” Thompson-Kelly said.
She added the response has been very positive.
“There has been an amazingly overwhelming response of different people asking if they can donate material or money to help. We have had some ladies drop off supplies and will be dropping off more for me at the post office, including material and elastic,” Thompson-Kelly said. “Just today I had a local community member pick up over 20 yards of material at Joann Fabrics in Missoula, as they are donating supplies toward this cause.”
Her usual sewing projects include an array of household items like curtains, burp cloths, or pillowcases.
Thompson-Kelly plans to continue making masks as long as there is a need for them and if she has the supplies. Since joining the grassroots army of crafters constructing homemade masks March 22, Thompson-Kelly and her mother Patricia have made more than 100 masks.
Thompson-Kelly encouraged others to get involved.
“Take this extra time that we have been given to do something you love and that is helpful to the community,” she said.
If anyone is interested in helping, Thompson-Kelly can be contacted through Facebook. She will be providing material, the pattern, and offer any help getting started.