ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - If you have a sewing machine or can otherwise make masks, you can join a St. Louis healthcare worker who is trying to make a million masks for her fellow healthcare workers and first responders.
Hillary Young says she and a friend came up with the idea three weeks ago, at 2 a.m.on a Saturday. "I'd been talking to my friend for a week or so about trying to get just a little effort together with our group of friends to make masks for our families and friends and those of us who work in healthcare just to be able to get out to people if we needed to."
When she got the news she was being furloughed from her job, because a co-worker had contracted coronavirus, she realized she was going to be home for two weeks with nothing to do, so they started the Facebook group, Greater St. Louis One Million Mask Drive.
"By the end of the first week we had over a thousand people in the group. And then, by the end of the second week we had over 2,000 people in the group. It's really humbling to see how many people are working out and want to help."
As of Friday, Young says they have requests for over 4,000 masks. They've distributed about 500.
Young says a fabric company has donated about 1,000 yards of fabric. Cotton Babies diaper fabric company is offering to cut out the masks in bulk. A friend of hers, who usually designs clothing, is helping design the pattern.
"I still can't believe it. I'm sure in six months when I have time to look back and actually reflect on this it's all going to feel like a dream...Really the community just pulled together over this in a way I was not expecting."
In addition to the Facebook page, you can contact the drive via email at greaterstlmasks@gmail.com.