WELLINGTON, Fla. — A seamstress at Tailor's Touch in Wellington is sewing face masks. The store is closed, but owner Scott Ford wants to help the community.
He got the idea from a hospital in Indiana, "where the CEO of that company was asking home sewers to help come up with an effective bridge-gap to help community members to stop the drain on N95 masks."
Over the weekend, Ford went shopping for materials, donated by Fred Meltzer, former owner of Hoffman's Chocolates.
"They really need to think about what good it serves them when the people that are there taking care of the elderly, taking care of the people that do have the virus in the hospital now, don't have those materials," Meltzer said. "Think about it hard and please turn it in to the local hospitals."
Other businesses are making the best of their closed doors.
Amanda Perna, a fashion designer, was recently talking to a friend. They decided to start sewing face masks after hearing there's a shortage for medical workers.
She's hoping these cloth ones can be used by everyday people to protect themselves, which would leave medical grade masks for health care workers in need.
"The reaction so far has been amazing," Perna said. "I posted it on Instagram and I've already gotten responses of people who want to help and want my pattern and to learn how to do it, so I'm building an army of seamstresses."
Business owners are doing what they can to help the community.
"As people have supplies and want to donate cotton, 1/4-inch elastic, coffee filters, we'll gladly take them and we'll gladly keep making them," Ford said.