The Hammonton Gazette 040820 Hammonton Gazette | Page 5

Uniting to make masks and deliver them to people Page 4 • Wednesday, April 8, 2020 • The Hammonton Gazette SEW, from Page 3 you for the masks? My response is no, but if you’d like, make a do- nation to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, that is wonder- ful,” Karl said. even those who cannot sew have been participating in the ef- fort. Melissa Fogg Castone, a bi- ology teacher and adjunct professor, is one of them. “I teach a lot of nursing stu- dents, and I figured that I could bridge that connection to try to figure out where the need was for these homemade masks. Origi- nally, there were not a lot of places accepting them unless they fol- lowed really stringent specifica- tions, and each place seems to have their own specifications that they want. But many places are just so desperate that they’ll ac- cept anything at this rate,” Cas- tone said. Castone is one of the adminis- trators of a Facebook group called “COVID-19 Supply/Mask Re- quests: Makers & Healthcare Workers Unite!” and has been Give your marketing a new direction with GPS! Call [phone] and ask for Gabe, Gina or MarySusan. 14 TILTON ST. HAMMONTON working with that group to get supplies to mask-makers as well as masks to those who need them. “My job was to take the deliv- ery to individuals who are going to sew them together. My role is not as a sewist, but as a person who is trying to do outreach and facilitate connections. I created a Google sheet on our Facebook group where people can sign up and commit to sewing for a facil- ity. Then, if they need a driver— some people will not leave their house—I am willing to go out and do a contactless pickup and a con- tactless delivery,” Castone said. as part of her work with the group, Castone has combed area Jo-ann Fabrics stores, which were giving out mask-making kits until they ran out. She has since had better luck with Betsey Cook from National Picnic in Haddonfield, who is giving out kits that will make 10 masks each. Castone is also a member of the town’s COVID-19 Task Force, which, Castone said, is trying to forge the same type of connec- tions, identifying local needs and those who can fill those needs. Right now, the former exceeds the latter. “I want to put out a call to ac- tion to anybody who can sew ... we are looking for more people to sew. I can pick it up in the most contactless way possible; they just leave it outside. I have gloves and I can come get it. I don’t know how we’re going to get this done without people who can sew and someone to facilitate delivery for those who are scared to venture out,” Castone said. Brown noted that such a call to action is reminiscent of those from the Influenza epidemic of 1918, when the Red Cross called upon the citizenry to make bandages and so forth. “That’s how I kind of feel when I’m sitting here sewing. It takes me about 20 minutes to make a mask, now that I have it down. It’s not bad, except that they need hundreds and thousands. But if we all do a little bit, it all adds up,” Brown said. SOLD! 800 S. White Horse Pike (Crowley Center), P.O. Box 1119 • Hammonton • 561-0505 • [email protected] • www.CrowleyCarr.com Congratulations ROBERT & STEPHANIE SHEEHAN on the purchase of your home! Thank you for putting your trust in Crowley & Carr. “The Best Place in Town to Find the Best Place in Town.” With nearly 30 years in business, who better to guide you on all your Real Estate needs than the CROWLEY & CARR REAL ESTATE TEAM!