Group of women in Ivins City get together to make face masks for those at risk

A group of 15 women come together to make face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ivins, Utah | Photo courtesy of Jennifer Burch, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Over the last week, a group of women from Ivins City sewed hundreds of face masks for the Southern Utah Veterans Home and others at risk as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A group of 15 women came together to make face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ivins, Utah | Photo courtesy of Jennifer Burch, St. George News

“I sent a message out to a couple of close friends, asking if they would like to help sew masks for the Ivins community and the response was astounding,” said Jennifer Burch, who helped put together the effort. “We immediately had people donate needed supplies. Some ladies were cutting and pressing fabric and some were sewing.  Everyone was working individually from their homes, biking materials to leave on one another’s porch and communicating through text message.”

Burch got the idea from a friend who works in a nursing home in New York. The need for masks is high in New York and as a result, she began making masks that could be worn by both professionals and the general public.

The idea was sparked and Burch, as well as others from Ivins, dusted off their sewing machines.

Each mask comes packaged in a bag with a note on it. The note includes instructions for how to properly use the mask and a small quote. The quote says, “I care about my health, I care about the health of others and someone loved me enough to make me this mask.”

A group of 15 women came together to make face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ivins, Utah | Photo courtesy of Jennifer Burch, St. George News

Burch said the motivation behind the note was to familiarize people with using the masks and emphasize that it can be used multiple times. She also stressed that the mask is not only a way to protect yourself but it is also a way to protect those in the community and it is a thoughtful thing to do for everyone.

“Within a week, this small group had completed hundreds of masks and distributed them to high-risk residents with the majority going to patients and employees of our local veterans home,” Burch said. “Fifteen ladies making a difference in hundreds of lives by working together – an amazing experience. I am proud to have been a part of it and I am proud to be a resident of Ivins. This is a community that cares about one another.”

COVID-19 information resources

Southern Utah coronavirus count (as of April 18, 2020)

Positive COVID-19 tests: 65, including 1 death and 46 recoveries.

  • Washington County: 44 (2 new)
  • Iron County: 17 
  • Garfield County: 1
  • Kane County: 3
  • Beaver County: 0

Hospitalized: 2

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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