We hope you’ve had a great summer in the midst of the pandemic. As we start to move into fall, we wanted to send a rundown of all we’ve been up to and what we’re planning for the next few months.
We are beginning to see an uptick in mask requests again, after a brief slowdown this summer. Our leadership team has been busy planning for a second wave of demand and in addition to our regular operations, we have been working on incorporating your volunteer survey feedback, planning our next Town Hall on 10/1 featuring a panel of mask recipients and showcasing our volunteers and mask recipients with our interview spotlights!
We are continuing to run periodic supply dropoffs and mask pickups for those who need it (see schedule on our request form). Feel free to spread the word about our opportunities to volunteer and to those who might be in need. If you still would like to help sew we are happy to provide you with supply kits. We will continue to provide updates by email and social media regarding the demand for masks.
We were thrilled to receive over 140 responses from our volunteer survey this summer and have linked to the results here. Congratulations to Louisa J., our raffle winner! We are appreciative of all the thoughtful feedback we received, which we’re taking into consideration as we move forward.
For all the sewists out there, we hope you will make a quilt block out of your mask scraps! We need 144+ quilt squares for our quilt. We are exploring options to display our quilt locally and we hope you will be part this collective effort! We have created instructions, a video tutorial and I’ll be teaching a free class on 9/20 at Gather Here (online and in person). More details below!
Finally, we want to thank you for being part of this community and encourage you to stay connected! We are in this for the long haul…however long that may be! We have heard from you that being a part of this project has provided connection, energy and purpose during a very challenging time. We want to continue to cultivate this through our town halls, community spotlights and online community so keep an eye out for all these things from our team!
Onward,
Stephanie Cave
Founder
Upcoming Events
Town Hall
Date: Thursday, October 1, 2020
Time: 7 - 8pm on Zoom
Join us for a panel discussion with administrators and mask recipients from Boston Medical Center and the Innocence Project, as we learn from them how they are managing with COVID-19 at their agencies. We will also provide updates on what's happening within BAMI and set aside some time for small group discussions so we can get to know each other a little better!
Click here to register! We will send out a Zoom link the day of the event!
Quilt Block Challenge
We are creating a quilt to commemorate our work from the scraps of our mask-making! We are asking everyone to create one ortwo 8.5 x 8.5" blocks from your mask scraps.
Sign upto join the free Gather Here Quilt Block Workshop!
Volunteer Spotlight
Role: Sewist (3,000+ masks)
How did you first get involved in the Boston Area Mask Initiative?
When the pandemic started to take hold, it started to really hit home when the kids were suddenly sent home from school. There was this period in March when there was a lot of fear and confusion. I heard from my sister that there was a need to sew masks because there weren’t enough for people who needed them. As a pretty new sewer, I just said, “You know what? I can do that! That’s something that I can do!” I figured out a pattern that I really liked, and my first batch went to the VA hospital in Framingham.
Then I was unsure where I should be directing these donations. Thankfully a friend of mine sent me a link to the Boston Area Mask Initiative, and I thought, “This is perfect.” This has been a wonderful way for me to do what I do best - the sewing - and let others worry about the logistics.
It’s doing something physical, it’s doing something tangible, it’s doing something that you know will benefit people directly. That’s… You can type everything you want on Facebook or on Twitter, but there’s nothing like actually having something to show. You know, if the government can’t protect our first responders, then we have to. It’s an honor to me. So here we are in late August and I have done over 3,000 masks. At least three-quarters of those have gone to BAMI. Others have gone directly to people who have requested them or who need them. I make between 20 to 25 a day. It’s essentially a full-time job. I was laid off during the pandemic and, you know, it has been a lifesaver for me to have something to do. This has been not just a benefit to me but a benefit to others.
What is keeping you going?
I think about the people who are on those front lines - the doctors, the nurses, the EMTs, the social workers, the nursing home workers - and how they get up day after day after day and face an extraordinarily difficult situation. And I think to myself, “You know what? I can get my butt out of bed and sew. No big deal.” There are people out there who are working so hard and putting themselves at risk. The least that I can do is keep at that damn sewing machine. I sometimes tell myself, “Tomorrow, you can take a break.” But the next day comes and I think, “No, I’m ready to do more.” I keep plodding along.
What else is keeping you sane?
I am practicing self-care as much as I possibly can. The hardest thing about this quarantine is that my entire family has been home. I have a six-year-old and an eight-year-old who were really devastated to be yanked out of school. My husband works from home and is immuno-suppressed. I don’t get a lot of alone time, and I’m one of those people who needs a little time to myself. I’m trying to get that alone time any way I can, even if it means putting on Trolls for the umpteenth time so I can sit upstairs and relax. I try to find moments when I can let it all go quiet, which is difficult when you have young ones!
I live in Franklin, fairly close to the Rhode Island border. I do enjoy driving into Hyde Park once a week to drop off my masks. I go by myself, and I blast whatever music I want. The nice thing is that no one can see me crazily singing along because I have a mask on!
What’s a fun fact about you?
Well, the whole reason that I got into sewing is that my husband and I are huge Star Wars fans. We made some costumes to attend Comic Con a few years ago, and I decided that I wanted to be able to make more sophisticated costumes. That meant having to learn how to sew. And so, basically, the entire reason behind my learning to sew is so that I could make my own Star Wars costumes for my family. I am a thirty-six-year-old woman who loves to cosplay.
