Laura Gifford of Jaffrey wants to see everyone have access to face masks when they’re out doing unavoidable tasks such as grocery shopping. And with a donation of space to do it in, she hopes to be able to make that wish a reality.
Gifford, a member of the Jaffrey-Rindge Lions Club, said she’s seen a big push locally to help provide hospital workers with cloth masks for when they run out of medical-grade personal protective equipment.
“And that’s wonderful,” Gifford said. “But I’d like to get masks out there that other people can use, too.”
Gifford has already tried her hand at making a few no-sew cloth masks, but said she’d like to see their production – and their use – go way up as the state enters April and the predicted height of coronavirus cases.
Gifford is currently soliciting volunteers willing to work in an assembly-line style collaboration to produce cloth masks which can then be distributed to community members, given out at local shopping centers.
Part of the reason she wants these masks in the community’s hands, Gifford said, is because anything that prevents the spread of the virus will benefit hospital workers, as it eases the strain they are under. Home-made cloth masks will assist people in preventing the spread, while preserving medical-grade masks for medical personnel.
“My thought is that we need to be starting to protect the public in general, not just health care workers. If we can keep the spread down among people, it will mean less trips to the hospital, and make it less taxing on them,” Gifford said.
Gifford said she’s keeping the safety of those volunteers in mind, and said that there will be teams of no more than 10 working together, volunteers will wear smocks and masks, and maintain proper distance at all times. She’s certainly got the room. She’s been offered a currently empty business location in Rindge to set up a workshop to produce masks. The empty space has plenty of room for volunteer sewers to easily be able to maintain proper distance from one another, and she’s asking that anyone with any symptoms, including non-coronavirus symptoms, not participate.
“There’s a lot of people out there, who would love to be able to do something. This is a great way they could do it,” Gifford said.
Gifford is seeking volunteers willing to work four-hour shifts making masks, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and if there are enough volunteers, for a second shift from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. She is also seeking donations of materials, including fabric, sewing machines, Ziploc bags, and men’s long sleeved shirts. Anyone interested in volunteering or donating should contact Gifford at 562-6015 by phone or text.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.