Mark Hughes, owner or Regalia Handmade Clothing on White Street, launched into making cloth masks to help prevent the spread of the virus Covid-19 on March 20. Since then Hughes was joined by numerous other volunteers who worked long hours and ended up distributing about 2,500 masks locally – more masks than there are people living in Eureka Springs.
“I couldn’t have done this alone,” Hughes said. “Some have worked a lot harder than others, of course, but I just felt like everyone deserved mention.”
All-Star lineup
Volunteers who worked on fabric prep/cutting/ironing are Tom McCoy and Henry Branstetter, Jack Kroeck and Jonathan Greene, Lorri Davis, Kelli Ladwig, Karen Pryor, Dominic Fabis, Cat and Sandra Templeton, and Dawn Anderson.
Seamstresses included Jane Tucker, Mary Romano, Delena Washington, Jerri Stevens, Carol Ryan, Susan Reed, Deb O’Donnell, Linda Melroy, Glenda Allison. Sally Gorrell, Melissa Greene, Vicki Hardcastle, Ramona McNeal, Sandy McClung, Debbie Davis, Pam Greenway, Cliff Davis, Christi Wagner, Marty Benson, Caragh McCallion, Savannah Brick, Eileen Hauser, Gwen Bennett, Jill Slane, Debbie Dye and Peggy Feltrope.
Fabric and t-shirt donors included Jayme Brandt, Tee-Rex; Jay Wilks, Out in Eureka, Dann Richardson, Heliographics, Kate Wicker, Wicker/Walker Printing, Kerusso and Bitchin’ Mama’s Biker Clothing.
In addition to the 2,500 local masks distributed in town, they mailed orders to institutions and out-of-state organizations. They soon will have distributed nearly 3,000 masks.
Earlier in the pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended against members of the public wearing masks out of concern about mask shortages for healthcare professionals. But CDC reversed its position on March 20, the first day Hughes starting making masks available. By having the masks made locally, it didn’t take anything away from the supplies of masks to protect healthcare workers.
Hughes said that some people have said they don’t think they need to wear a mask because they are at low risk of complications if they get the virus. But Hughes emphasized while the masks help the wearer, they also play a vital role in preventing people with the virus, including those who don’t have symptoms, from spreading the virus to others.
Hughes said they used an efficient, assembly-line with one set of volunteers doing the cutting and another sewing them. They were distributed with instructions about how to properly use the masks, which should be washed frequently. Hughes estimates that with assembly line, they were able to make one mask in a total of 20 minutes. But someone doing the entire process at home might take about an hour to make a mask. Hughes put out tutorials on YouTube and his Regalia’s Facebook page on how to make the masks.
“I think we have the population in our area covered,” Hughes said. “Mostly we’re now concentrating on providing masks for hospitals and nursing homes.”