Punta Gorda woman making face masks for healthcare workers

If you and your kids are cooped up at home, looking for something to do, Fox 4 has you covered.

While you're home, you can help sew face masks for local healthcare workers who desperately need them.

SEEING...OR HAVE SUDDEN SEVEREPAIN.HERE AT FOX 4, WE KNOW A LOT OFYOU ARE COOPED UP AT HOME,LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO DO --LOOKING FOR SOMETHING YOUR KIDSCAN DO -- THAT CAN MAKE ADIFFERENCE.WE WANT TO HELP YOU MAKE THATTHIS MORNING... I’M INTRODUCINGYOU TO A PUNTA GORDA WOMANWHO’S TEACHING *YOU HOW TO MAKEFACE MASKS FOR HEALTHCAREWORKERS... WHILE WE’RE HOME.THIS IS BETHANY LEE.

SITTING ATHER KITCHEN TABLE.

HER SEWINGMACHINE ON ONE SIDE, HER FABRICON THE OTHER.[Duration:0:02] <BETHANY LEE "Ilearned how to sew when i wasreally young" 2 secSHE’S A MOM OF 4, SO SHE SAYSSHE HASN’T SEWN IN AWHILE, BUTNOW --BETHANY LEE "i dusted off thecobwebs literally andfiguratively with the sewingmachine and my sewing skills" 5secSHE BOUGHT SOME FABRIC ANDELASTICS AND IS GETTING WORK.SHE’S MAKING FACE MASKS FOR OURHEALTHCARE WORKERS, WHO ARE INDESPERATE NEED RIGHT NOW.BETHANY LEE "sent out a bigbatch to my cousin who’s an EMTin Atlanta.

And i’d love todonate as many as possible toour local healthcare.

Our localhospitals" 9 secAND SHE SAYS SHE’D LOVE FOR YOUTO JOIN HER.

SHE SAYS ALL YOU’LLNEED IS A SEWING MACHINE, SOMEFABRIC, AND ELASTIC.

SHE FOUNDTHESE DIRECTIONS TO MAKE A MASKFROM A RELIABLE SOURCE ONLINE.AND SHE SAYS HER RESEARCH HASSHOWN WORKERS PREFER MASKS WITHAN INSIDE POCKET.BETHANY LEE "so that you canopen up the back of these masksand insert an n95 mask or asurgical mask they might haveaccess to that they can reuseand reuse" 9 secONCE THE PIECES ARE SEWNTOGETHER AND THE ELASTIC STRAPSARE REINFORCED... YOU SEW INPLEATS.BETHANY LEE "so that you’re ableto get that right around thewearer’s ear and it expandsaround the nose when you pullthose pleats apart" 11 secTHEN SHE ADDED HER OWN SPECIALTOUCH.BETHANY LEE "I’ve got a 6 inchpipe cleaner sewed into that tophem.

It creates that tightnessaround the wearer’s nose" 9 sec20-TO-30 MINUTES LATER - YOU’VEGOT YOUR FINISHED MASK.AND HEY - IT’S AN ACTIVITY EVENYOUR KIDS CAN GET INTO!

HERE’SBETHANY’S OLDEST KIDDOS HELPINGHER OUTSHE SAYS THESE AREN’T ASEFFECTIVE AS THE N95 MASKS, BUTARE AN EXTRA LINE OF DEFENSE --HEALTHCARE WORKERS CAN PUT THEIRSURGICAL MASKS MANY ARE BEINGFORCED TO REUSE INSIDE, AND CANCONTINUE TO WASH THE COTTON MASKON THE OUTSIDE.

THEY’RE ALSOGOOD IN AN EMERGENCY.BETHANY LEE "the goal of this isjust to protect as manyhealthcare workers as possible.even if they are given to thesupport staff in the hospital.janitorial, maintenance,cafeteria workers.

Just to bable to protect them so thehospitals can continue to run atfull capacity" 16 sec