What once started as a Facebook group designed for members to share their craft and get ideas and inspiration from like-minded craft enthusiasts, turned into a community outreach program that is fulfilling the needs of several McKenzie County businesses.
The Watford City Sewing and Crafts Facebook group is comprised of over 300 members. Several members within the group have been busily gathering sewing materials, cutting out patterns, and constructing handmade masks.
So far, the group has made over 600 handmade masks, and they have an additional 600 underway that they will be supplying to McKenzie County Healthcare. The group has distributed handmade masks to many businesses throughout the McKenzie County area, including the McKenzie County Law enforcement, McKenzie County Healthcare Systems, and other companies who have essential workers.
Since the start of the Coronavirus pandemic, businesses have been experiencing a shortage of factory-made masks. This is because the United States mask-making factories cannot keep up with the high demand of facemasks - and without a secure supply of masks, the risk to health care workers and essential employees increases significantly.
The Watford City Sewing and Crafts group quickly realized the community's need for facemask and started making homemade masks to give to Watford City area businesses.
The main goal of the Mask Force group is to supplement N-95 masks for medical and emergency frontline providers and to support grocery, pharmacy, and retail stores while they are providing curbside services to protect their frontline employees.
The facemasks that volunteers have been making are double-layered, 100% tight-woven cotton and some even have a pouch where a filter can be slipped in.
Businesses have been donating sewing materials to people interested in making homemade facemasks. Beaver Creek Creations and Barrett Pharmacy of Watford City has donated spools of elastic, and Barrett Pharmacy has also donated sewing fabric.
"It is so great to see first hand how people can come together to make things happen. It's amazing the team effort from absolutely everyone involved. It makes me proud to call Watford City home," said Vikki Williams, who created the Watford City Sewing and Craft Facebook group.
If you are interested in making facemasks, you are encouraged to join the Watford City Sewing and Crafts Facebook group, or if you would like to donate sewing material, you can contact Vikki Williams at 541-731-3778.
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