TUCSON, Ariz. — One Tucson group has made over 17,000 homemade masks for the community.
Sewing Masks for Tucson held a drive-thru mask event to ensure all Tucsonans can mask up.
“I could not imagine to just sit and [standby] and complain—to just watch all this happening. We truly want to be part of it. We wanted to be part of the solution," said Andrea Rodriguez.
The group is made up of more than sixty volunteers who said they’ve found a new family in each other.
Rodriguez got the idea when she saw what was happening in her home country -- the Czech Republic.
“The government asked [for] the citizens if they could help out. In three days, the whole nation sewed 10 and half-million masks,” she said.
Her hope is to spread kindness while also making sure Tucsonans have what they need to mask up.
“If you see a person who is not wearing a mask, then maybe ask them can I purchase it? Can I buy it for you?" she explained.
The group has donated masks to assisted living groups, local health care workers, and now have helped more than sixty organizations and businesses. One of their volunteers owns a local laundromat that washes the fabric.
Although they have the passion to keep going, they are holding on by a thread.
“We are almost on the edge after five months,” said Rodriguez.
The group said their supplies are dwindling and monetary donations are too.
Altogether they have used about $3,000 of their own dollars.
Even though they are struggling, they plan to hold another drive-thru mask event to continue to make a difference.
