18,500 masks later, South Salish network still sewing strong

These days, face coverings are available for purchase just about everywhere goods are sold. But not so long ago, they were hard to come by.

Local group South Salish Mighty Masks mobilized in March to fill the gap between willing crafters and the demand for cloth masks in the Thurston County area.

When The Olympian talked to Faith Addicott in April, the group had sewn 2,000 masks and the Facebook group had grown to include at least 400 members.

As of last week, the group had sewn 18,500 face coverings since the pandemic began and the Facebook group includes about 650. Individually, group members have also been sewing for their own communities.

It’s not an easy time to picture crowds, but they’ve sewn enough masks to cover the faces of every fan in a full Cheney Stadium in Tacoma nearly three times over.

Addicott, who coordinates the group, formed it after she got a call from Anna Schlecht, who pointed out the void between the people who need masks and the people who are willing and able to sew them, she said.

As The Olympian previously reported, it was an opportune moment for Addicott, who had just finished her master’s degree and her work coordinating Thurston County’s Point-in-Time count of people who are homeless.

With personal protective equipment in short supply, the group began fulfilling requests from hospitals; local and state government agencies, such as the Department of Corrections; and nonprofits, such as Senior Services for South Sound.

“At that time, it was like a never-ending void of demand — I mean, people were asking for thousands of masks,” Addicott told The Olympian.

Since the beginning, the group has raised about $6,000 for supplies and expenses, including $2,000 from a grant program through the United Way of Thurston County (which then chose destinations for 2,000 masks), a GoFundMe fundraiser, and a Facebook fundraiser. The group also received a donation of 30 bolts of fabric from the Lieutenant Governor’s office, she said.

The volunteer crafters are split across seven regional teams. They sew at home and drop finished masks in a bin at the home of a designated team leader. A driver then picks up masks once a week and brings them back to the group’s hub, where they’re distributed to whoever has requested them.

Team leaders, such as Jenna Fettig on Olympia’s east side, also store extra supplies such as nose wires, fabric, elastic, and replacement sewing needles for people in their region.

Fettig, who estimates she’s sewn about 2,000 masks herself, has her team’s supplies and bin for mask collection set up in her enclosed porch, sheltered from the elements.

“It’s kind of like a one-stop shop for the eastside neighborhood,” Fettig told The Olympian on a recent visit. “And we get drop-offs every Friday, and they also pick up the finished masks.”

From mid-April to early June, the organization hosted its hub at the new downtown space for Burial Grounds coffee shop, where Jacob Dinklage, who volunteered his time to help the group, works. But when it was time for the shop to re-open, the group moved to a classroom space at First United Methodist Church of Olympia.

In May and June, the group was sewing at a rate of 1,000 masks per week, Addicott said.

“We got an OK from our bishop to provide essential services,” Church Administrator Chris Knight told The Olympian. “You know, we can’t have people meeting in the church right now, but this is one of the things that we can do that could help the community.”

And they knew anything the group would be doing would be safe, Knight said — they’re dedicating their time to making masks, after all.

Demand for the donated masks has dwindled, Addicott said, as masks have become increasingly commonplace for purchase.

Once bigger entities started getting supplies on the back end and more surgical masks were available, she said demand lessened and the group began to focus on the most marginalized populations. They’ve supplied Yakima farm workers, Native American tribes near and far, and local shelters, outreach workers, and service providers for the homeless community.

Recently, they fulfilled a request for 830 masks for a local Head Start program, which asked for matching sets of 38 so that every class could have its own.

“They’re very, very cute,” Addicott said.

With the decreased demand and people returning to work, the group packed up and moved out of the church last week, Addicott said.

Group members and their sewing machines may now get some much-deserved rest, as remaining supplies are divided across the team bins so everyone’s stocked until they need a refill. A couple people will continue sewing because they enjoy it, Addicott said, and the Facebook page will stay active.

If there’s another COVID-19 surge, though, Addicott the network will be there and prepared to respond.

“I think it’s important that our community understand how many people are out there, just giving,” Addicott said.

This story was originally published October 4, 2020 at 5:45 AM.