(image courtesy of DC Mask Protection on Facebook)

A group reached out looking for support for their campaign to produce masks for local hospitals who are not getting the supplies they need. DC Mask Protection is creating hand-made cloth masks for area hospitals and caregivers while helping a local garment / dry-cleaning shops generate much-needed revenue.

The concept is pretty simple. The DC Mask Protection group uses donations to help procure cloth that they then bring to local shops to produce the masks. Those masks are then delivered to hospitals, organizations and others in need.

If you want to help, they have a GoFundMe set up to receive donations.

“This initiative was born out of a desire to support our local community by providing face masks to at-risk populations in DC while also considering the economic toll of the pandemic on local businesses,” said Ashley Valle, one of the group founders. “While we understand that many GoFundMe initiatives have launched with the rise of COVID-19 cases, we are hopeful that our unique approach will be of interest.”

“Like many in the DC community, we are concerned about the health of our essential workers and at-risk populations due to the spread of COVID-19,” Valle said. “We also recognize that this is a challenging time for local businesses that are under pressure due to the stay-at-home order. So, in an effort to get quality, cloth face masks at no cost to local hospitals, community organizations, and other locations where they are needed most, while also channeling needed capital into the local economy, we are engaging stewards and community leaders within the DC business community to supply this critical demand.”

How the DC Mask Protection Model works

1. We are working closely with garment alteration/dry-cleaning shops in DC to pivot and start making quality face-masks to agreed upon specifications. They already have the essential equipment in place and the personnel that can sew professionally!

2. We have launched a GoFundMe site to collect donations. These donations will be used to purchase cloth face masks at a fair price from local businesses. Helping the local economy!

3. We have and continue to canvass the local DC community to identify community organizations, non-governmental organizations, and public and private sector entities that need masks and can distribute them to the essential workers and at-risk populations they serve. There is a high unmet demand city-wide!

4. Our first order is set to be distributed to St. Elizabeth’s hospital in Southeast DC. Curbing the spread of COVID-19 at no cost to vulnerable groups!

5. We are also looking into partnering with institutions that can provide funding for this initiative, recognizing that the demand for masks may continue into Summer 2020.

Our first order of quality cloth face masks, which is set to be delivered to St. Elizabeth’s hospital in SE, is currently being filled. To produce the masks we are working with Tienda Santa Rosa de Lima in Adams Morgan (a garment alteration shop), a business run by three generations of El Salvadorian women. The purchase of these masks form Tienda Santa Rosa is providing much needed resources to their business that has been struggling since the stay-at-home order was put in place. So far, we’ve raised nearly $500 (in the last two days) to cover a part of these costs, recognizing that our immediate networks are quite limited.

You can keep up with their project updates on their Facebook Page.

GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/dc-mask-protection