TAMPA, Fla. — The group The Mask Project Tampa Bay was created about three months ago to sew free masks for communities across seven local counties and since March, they've made more than 43,000 masks.
“For people to come together within the Tampa Bay area it’s just it’s pretty much been overwhelming just seeing everybody pull together and take a part in this,” said volunteer Carol Fleurant.
They’re still receiving requests from local hospitals, medical facilities, and people who are immunocompromised.
The group is comprised only of volunteers and they’ve made face masks, scrub caps and ear savers.
For them to be able to keep going at this rate, members are asking for monetary donations so they can buy supplies or a donation of materials.
They need cotton fabric, one-inch buttons, elastic, bias tape, t-shirt yarn, t-shirts, bedsheets and thread.
Group leaders are also looking for volunteers who are interested in sewing or picking up and dropping off materials and masks.
Although The Mask Project Tampa Bay has not received any requests yet from schools to provide masks, they’re in the beginning stages of planning and discussing how they can help school districts meet this new demand.
“We’ll have to address it looking at what we have for inventory, what we get with donations,” said Fleurant.
Fleurant says everything they do depends on donations from the community.
If you want to volunteer, make a donation, or need to request masks, you can do so through The Mask Project Tampa Bay's Facebook page.
