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Wanted: 200 Volunteers To Sew Fabric Masks For Health Care Workers

By Itxy Quintanilla
Published May 4, 2020 12:12 PM
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Reyna, a Huntington Park resident, wears a mask bought at a local store on her way to a doctors appointment in Boyle Heights. Chava Sanchez/Laist
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A local sewing group has an ambitious goal to sew 30,000 fabric masks for Southern California health care workers — and it wants your help.

The Sew Helpful Brigade has already distributed over 3,000 masks to workers at Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Long Beach Medical Center and UCLA. But it needs 200 more volunteer sewers.

Pediatric nurse and group organizer Anna Kitabjian says health care workers appreciate the effort:

"They're so very thankful for something they can wash and reuse, something that's a security. In different health care facilities we're required to wear a mask all day long, so if you're not taking care of patients, you still have to wear a mask. And these are much more comfortable, they're much more skin-friendly."

The Sew Helpful Brigade provides supplies for volunteers willing to help out. Materials and delivery support come from JOANN Fabric, Michaels stores, American Eagle and RAW Artists, Inc.
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Interested? Email sewhelpfulteam@gmail.com.

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