Retired Ballet Costume Designer Distributes Masks: GA Coronavirus

ATLANTA, GA — A newly retired Georgia woman could be relaxing, but instead she’s putting in long hours. Barbara Hudson Mock of Walton County said when the coronavirus pandemic hit, she couldn’t sit back and do nothing. She, her husband and a small group of friends have been tirelessly creating cloth face masks for healthcare professionals.

“My husband and I, we're working eight hours a day, minimum, trying to get masks made,” she told Patch.

Mock retired last year from working as a ballet costume designer. She said she felt inspired to step up and help when her friend’s daughter told her she had been asked to wear the same face mask for the entire week.

“That seems to be the story over and over again,” she said. “There's just a huge shortage of masks. With this, they can place the homemade ones over their mask to make it last longer. It’s also washable.”

A Tutu Capers & Mask Makers GoFundMe page was set up on Saturday with the goal of raising $10,000. They’ve reached $2,160 as of Thursday. According to the page, the group has made more than 3,000 masks that have been distributed for free to the medical community, nursing homes and first responders.

Mock said they’re in need of more elastic.

“There's a shortage of elastic in the country,” she told Patch, adding that it’s even challenging to purchase online. Costs have also increased.

The donations will help them purchase what they need to continue making the masks, she said.

Mock and her husband are practicing social distancing so when a batch of masks are complete, they sit them on the porch for pick up.

“We're staying home, we are not leaving,” she said. “When somebody says they need masks, I put them on my front porch with their name on them, and they disappear.”

Neighbors who help contribute leave their bags on her porch.

“We have a whole little thing going. Nobody is seeing each other, except from a distance.”

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, Tutu Capers, which launched eight years ago, created tutus and superhero capes for children with long term illnesses and disabilities. They would deliver them to hospitals across Georgia with the help of local volunteer and church groups.

On the group’s Facebook page they say the purpose is to “bring a smile and some super power into their lives.”

Mock said that word of mouth has been spreading and the requests for face masks have been pouring in.

“We have nursing homes reaching out, physical therapy places, urgent cares and more. This is something we can do to help.”

Follow Tutu Capers on Facebook.