Family makes homemade masks for healthcare workers

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    Connecticut (WFSB) — In recent days, many people and places answered the governor’s call for more personal protective equipment, also known as PPE.

As the state braces for the peak of infections, a family in Connecticut is trying to help those on the frontlines, by making homemade masks.

Since Sunday, Claudia Cruz and her family cranked out 300 masks.

“I’ve had a lot of requests for the homemade masks, even though they’re not perfect. They’re three layers of a little bit of protection,” Cruz said.

Donated fabric, elastic, and ribbons are strewn across Cruz’s spare bedroom, which also doubles as a safe haven for the family as they sew hundreds of masks a day.

Cruz has also enlisted the help of her grandchildren. Practicing social distancing, her grandchildren work at their home, and whenever the togetherness gets too much, they remember their mission about working together.

To donate supplies, email Claudia at ccruz4@comcast.net.

Working together also means supporting those on the frontline of the pandemic, whether staying apart or making the masks.

Area hospitals are looking for N95 masks, but Hartford Hospital, Middlesex Hospital, and Day Kimball are accepting homemade masks. Yale New Haven Hospital is also accepting masks, but ones that follow a specific pattern.

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