Southwest Florida Face Mask Crew giving away masks on May 30
With social distancing relaxing into a new normal, it seems we cannot have too many face masks on hand. On Saturday, May 30, the Southwest Florida Face Mask Crew will be at Pine Island United Methodist Church from 8 a.m. until noon, ready and willing to provide face masks to anyone who needs them at an event called, “Flash Your Badge,” an effort to encourage the community to utilize personal protective equipment.
“Initially we were dedicated to the idea of ensuring that healthcare providers, first responders and essential personnel had personal protective equipment,” said Isabel Francis, MPA, MSN, RN. “There were significant shortages at the onset of the outbreak. With the realization of how massive this thing is, we weren’t prepared – nobody was.”
Francis reports, to date, the crew has provided approximately 3,000 masks both to the community and healthcare system. In addition, she said they have provided masks to food banks, Goodwill, people working in long-term healthcare facilities and the general public as they have found a need.
“We realized our best utilization of resources presently,” said Francis, “is to serve those people in communities that aren’t being addressed by the more formal channels of healthcare organizations.”
Feeling that some may be falling through the cracks where resources are concerned, Francis and the crew are setting their sights on getting them what they need. Francis voiced a concern for those currently working in the agricultural industry, such as those on palm plantations or farms and emphasized their need for protection as well. She said the event is dedicated to making certain CNAs, home health aides, people practicing home healthcare and anyone who lacks adequate PPE within their own organization. She said, because in many cases employers are simply not able to distribute PPE, the crew will try to fill that need.
Crew member Nancy Cote, who grew up on Pine Island, is bilingual, allowing her a birds-eye view of a community which may be otherwise overlooked due to road blocks in communication. Francis said synergy and connectedness of this kind is wonderful and right now, very necessary.
“All of these efforts have grown out of the utilization of these kinds of connections,” said Francis. “We want everyone on Pine Island to feel that we are friends and neighbors. We’re taking care of Pine Islanders.”
Francis admitted, though, that everyone is in a time of economic uncertainty, and the donations for face masks have been flowing in generously, with people, she said, who have opened their hearts as well as their wallets.
Although people are in no way expected or required to make donations at the upcoming event, donations are perfectly acceptable. Husband and wife team, Rasit and Ilkay Turk of the Fort Myers garment industry, have partnered with the organization, generously donating 10 percent of the proceeds from their business, Turk and Turk, to the crew. Francis reported, after hearing of the need, this husband and wife team spent numerous hours sewing masks without compensation for their time.
“These were more difficult to sew – a specific type of mask that required specialized fabric provided by the hospital,” said Francis. “Because of their sewing skills and the machines that they have, they were able to sew a huge amount and donated all of their time. It’s incredible how people have come together over this.”
Since the crew has expanded to serve more communities, anyone who can sew, cut fabric or help with deliveries is welcome to pitch in, Francis said. Recent plans have been made to provide masks to the children of Pine Island Elementary, since this is likely to be an ongoing need.
“If there were a way that we could unite our citizenry,” said Francis, “that would be our most effective way of fighting this virus. Sociologists, social scientists and historians have proven that the human race overcomes catastrophic events most effectively when we work together.”
To donate time or money to the Southwest Florida Face Mask Crew, please visit the Southwest Florida Face Mask Crew Facebook page Southwestfloridafacemaskcrew.org. (There is an address on the website if you prefer to send a check.)