It takes a village to get this done. For those of us who want to help but don’t have sewing skills or resources, there are other ways to contribute to this effort.
- Donate materials for our mask makers. Please see below for a list of supplies we are currently accepting.
- Prep materials for mask makers.
- Transport materials and masks between those who have them and those who need them.
The majority of our mask makers and supply/support volunteers are in the Oak Park area and surrounding suburbs. If you are in the area and interested in helping in any of the above ways, please join our Facebook group Chicago Mask Makers where we coordinate these efforts.
For those of you interested in donating supplies, we are accepting the following types of materials only. Please remember that nurses and doctors will be breathing through these materials all day – All must be clean and free of odors!
- New or like-new tight-knit woven cotton (like cotton material used in quilts)
- Unused pipe cleaners
- Copper or aluminum wire or sheeting
- Nonwoven reusable bags (no holes)
- Sew-in interfacing (NON-fusible only)
- Elastic: 1/8-1/4 inch or 1-2mm
- Bias tape
- Gently used tshirts (no fragrant detergent)
- Thread (all-purpose, cotton)
Please remember that we are just volunteers without access to dumpsters. Materials other than those above, and materials that arrive dirty, will unfortunately have to be thrown out. If you have a question about whether or not we can accept your donation, please either ask us with a picture under “Questions for Admin” in our Facebook group, or send us an email. We’ll be happy to advise!
Not on Facebook? Send us an email.