Dozens of local residents have proven in the past few weeks that being confined to home doesn’t mean you can’t answer the call to help respond to a pandemic.

*Whitney Aldrich hands off a batch of face coverings to Sharon Dalley from Kirby House. Photo courtesy of MakerSpace.*

After all, creativity is the whole point of Waterbury’s non-profit MakerSphere, the collaborative work space that mobilized dozens of Waterbury community members to sew more than 2,200 masks and assemble shields for Woodridge Nursing Home and other area medical facilities since mid-March.

In the first week and a half alone, 622 masks and 500 shields were made -- 400 of each went to Woodridge Nursing Home; another 80 masks went to Kirby House. Central Vermont Medical Center received 600 masks and more than 400 have been distributed to essential workers, Aldrich said.

The project started when Fred Costey, an electrical engineering consultant, asked Whitney Aldrich, a member of the MakerSphere board of directors, if the maker community might contribute to the response to the coronavirus.

Aldrich asked Dr. Richard Burgoyne, the medical director at Woodridge Rehabilitation and Nursing, what the greatest need was. His reply: masks and face shields.

“Fred called me and said ‘I’m sick of being scared (of COVID-19), what’s going on in your maker community? How can we get that group involved in doing something?’” Aldrich said.

Costey and Aldrich then made prototypes for a mask and a shield. Each was approved by Dr. Burgoyne and he set the goal at 400 masks and 400 shields for Woodridge, which was met.

Next the group focused on “Phase II” -- making masks and shields to send to medical and essential workers in Waterbury and around Central Vermont.

Aldrich said the project got a steady stream of volunteers with approximately 125 people involved from start to finish. The process took many steps from cutting fabric for masks, assembling kits for masks and shields, sewing and assembling, and coordinating all of the workflow to have the items packed for delivery.

*One of more than 100 volunteer makers, Addie Soules helps out producing cloth face masks. Photo courtesy of MakerSphere.*

Some assembly required

The goal was to keep everything simple, Aldrich explained. For example, the shields look like protection a welder would wear. They had one set of assembly instructions and were made from plastic and ribbon.

“These were quick and easy to turn around -- unlike sewing -- and also something kids could help with,” said Laura Parette, who is involved as a volunteer and on the marketing committee for MakerSphere. She’s coordinated distributing supplies to volunteers during the project.

The masks are 100% woven cotton and need to be sewn. They come with more detailed instructions and steps, and can be given to volunteers in kits to make the process easier.

Aldrich said the effort came naturally. Her small business gallery and custom picture framing shop, Axel’s, was closed as was considered “non-essential” during the Stay Home, Stay Safe order. Alrich said she wanted to dedicate her time to something important.

She didn’t need to look far to turn to the community of creative hands-on individuals connected with MakerSphere around the corner from her shop. She puts the success of the project squarely on Vermont’s community of “do-it-yourself-ers.”

“I feel like our community is filled with all these tinkers, people that like to come up with solutions themselves and figure it out and make stuff,” Aldrich said.

Along the way, kids have pitched in to both make shields and do some sewing as well. Organizers said the purpose of the project has been a great way to show kids how much it means to be an active member of a community.

“This is a great project as a teaching tool for kids, what is community engagement? What does that mean? Why is it important?,” Aldrich said. “And it's empowering people to figure things out and change things up, [and ask] how would we use this material to make it work?”

Masks now available to the public

With early batches distributed to frontline and essential workers, MakerSphere volunteers are making handmade cloth face coverings available to the public at five locations around Waterbury. Photo courtesy of MakerSpace.

In the past week or so, the project has shifted focus to Phase III. “MakerSphere is looking to outfit our community members with facial coverings now that the CDC highly recommends everyone wear one,” MakerSphere announced on its Facebook page.

Organizers have set up distribution where people can pick up masks for free in five locations:

Waterbury Public Library - Tuesdays and Thursdays 3-6 p.m.; Saturdays 9 a.m. to noon.
K.C.'s Bagel Café - Monday through Friday 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Saturdays-Sundays between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Billings Mobil - open daily 24 hours.
Sunflower Natural Foods - Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closed Sundays.
Waterbury Food Shelf - Mondays and Fridays 10 a.m. to noon; Wednesdays 3 to 5 p.m.

So far, the masks have been popular and Parette said organizers will assess the supply to decide how many more might be needed with a goal of winding down soon. Volunteers have been sewing for weeks now and may need a break.

Parette said that while she expected volunteers to step up for this project, the number of people who did and their productivity was impressive. “I have always known Waterbury to be a community that pulls together, but this effort has been outstanding and heart-warming,” she said. “I have a lot of new friends now -- and they all can sew!”

Kits to make 10 masks each are still available. Anyone interested in helping out should contact Parette at masks.makersphere@gmail.com for details.

For those who aren’t inclined to sew but who want to pitch in, donations can be made to MakerSphere to help cover the cost of supplies. More information online at www.makerspherevt.com.