BERKEEY HEIGHTS, NJ – A virtual community of volunteer mask cutters, sewers and delivery drivers, inspired by Berkeley Heights resident Amy Rudgard and Berkeley Heights business owner JoAnn Pravata of The Tailor’s Wife has grown to over 170 members.
“The Community Mask Factory Volunteer Group” located on Facebook, inspired by Rudgard and Pravata, has donated over 800 traditional masks, 150 washable N95 covers to doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Atlantic Health contacted me about 3 weeks ago,” said Pravata, owner of The Tailor’s Wife in Berkeley Heights. “My Initial intention was to donate about 1500 masks. I was quickly overwhelmed by the actual need. I was getting emails and calls from many places around New Jersey, from hospitals to home health care companies. Before I figured out how long it would take to create each mask, streamline ourselves and make my shop into a small manufacturing factory, I said yes to everybody,” she said.
“I posted on the Berkeley Heights Community Forum on Facebook, in hopes of reaching other tailor shops, home sewers and any one else who might help us out. Well the town rallied and I became totally overwhelmed again. Instead of focusing on sewing masks I was being inundated with calls, emails, posts from enthusiastic people that wanted to help. That is where Amy Rudgard came in, like a knight in shining armor, to organize volunteers’ efforts,” explained Pravata.
Berkeley Heights resident, Amy Rudgard explained, “my college roommate, an executive at a Philly healthcare practice, texted me over 10 days ago. Knowing that my family was full of sewers, she asked if my mom and other family members could make masks because they were short on PPE. I had to ask myself, how big is this problem when an executive of a healthcare practice is asking for help from my 85 year old mom?” Rudgard’s search for helpers brought her to the Berkeley Heights Community Forum. Both Pravata and Rudgard posted at about the same time and so the two decided to connect and coordinate their efforts.
“We have people who purchase materials and donate materials. We have non-sewers who wash and cut the materials. They drop it off so JoAnn can sew quicker and I also make ‘ready-to-sew’ kits that we leave outside my house for those who sew to pick up. It helps those who can sew do more! I can also mail those ready-to-sew kits to others willing to help but who can’t get a hold of the materials. We have made sure everyone knows to wash the materials or wear gloves or leave them sitting overnight to ensure we are being safe in moving these items around,” said Rudgard. The group currently has over 60 volunteers, Rudgard shared, “we have people involved not just here in Berkeley Heights but in neighboring towns like Millington and Warren, in addition to volunteers sewing in other states including Delaware, Ohio, Georgia, Florida and Pennsylvania”.
Sewers or other volunteers looking to get involved can join the Facebook group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/149240669775788/) where members are sharing patterns and instructions, as well as other tips, tricks, photos of finished masks and photos of recipients. A GoFundMe fundraiser, created by Rudgard’s sister Michele Schultz, has been created to raise money for materials and can also be found on the page. Pravata explained, “the price of materials have quickly skyrocketed and I am finding a shortage of materials from my usual vendors.”
The masks have been donated to Atlantic Health for distribution throughout the state, as well as hospitals in Hanover, NJ, Long Island, Brooklyn, Main Line Health in PA and Beebe Hospital in Delaware. “We are currently working on 1,000 N95 covers to fill a request from a nursing home,” said Rudgard.
