Stratford Woman Making Face Masks For Health Workers, Police

STRATFORD, CT — For every face mask she sews, Sally Head says a prayer for the person who will wear it.

“It’s a little extra protection,” she said.

Head has been making the masks for several weeks, after a relative put her in touch with a nurse at Bridgeport Hospital who needed cloth masks that hospital staff could wear over their surgical masks amid the ongoing new coronavirus outbreak.

In addition to health care providers, Head has sewn face masks for maternity ward patients, police officers, elderly community members and retail workers, including the staff at Two Roads Brewing Co. Earlier in the week, she had made a total of about 50 masks with the help of volunteers and donations.

“It’s just really been a community effort,” said Head, who owns HeadSpace Training & Wellness in Stratford.

Head’s business is closed under a state order requiring all non-essential businesses to temporarily cease operations in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus, so she has been using the extra time to make masks. Before the outbreak, her sewing experience mainly involved creating clothes for her children’s dolls.

The new coronavirus has killed hundreds and infected thousands across Connecticut in the past month. As the virus continues to spread, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends people wear cloth face coverings when in public places such as grocery stores and pharmacies. Retail employees in Connecticut must wear face masks whenever possible if they are interacting with customers or handling products.

Head is seeking donations of elastic and 100-percent cotton as well as people who can sew for her mask-making effort. She is most in need of elastic, preferably in quarter-inch or half-inch strips.

Anyone interested in donating time or material can contact her on Facebook or at headspace.fit.