SUBMITTED PHOTO - Pam Robertson Rivet and her team of sewers have made and donated nearly 2,000 masks to frontline workers and the Mustard Seed.
rmccracken@medicinehatnews.com@MHNMcCracken
Back in early April, Pam Robertson Rivet recruited a group of local sewists to fabricate 1,000 face masks to donate to the Mustard Seed.
Less than two months later, they’ve made nearly 2,000.
“It has been incredible,” said Robertson Rivet, adding they’ve been donating the masks as they’re made. “The Mustard Seed, their clients are all homeless and impoverished people in the area. They were asking for masks, and then the requests started coming in from companies with front-line essential workers and the phone just went crazy. I’ve had calls from Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.”
When the Mustard Seed initially contacted Robertson Rivet with the request for 1,000 masks, she went to her team of experts at the Quilts of Valour and quickly assembled a team to tackle the task.
“We reached out to members of the Quilts of Valour quilting team here in Medicine Hat, which I’ve been coordinating for over a year. They responded like, wow, and some other people joined in as well,” she said, adding donations from individuals and local businesses have helped with purchasing supplies, while she and her team have been providing the rest.Â
“All our volunteers have contributed their own materials in addition to gathering donated items, at significant personal expense for some.”
When Robertson Rivet started the initiative, the effectiveness of cloth face masks was somewhat of a contested debate. While she says she received some resistance, sentiment has largely shifted in the weeks since – reflected in the growing demand for masks.
“There was quite a bit of pushback from some elements,” she said. “We’ve had to counter a lot of that as well. I’ve been adamant with the group that these masks are provided for free and nobody will pay for these masks, just so that we’re confident that we’re getting the best product we can and we’re not worried about money coming in from it.”
The masks take between 20 and 45 minutes to make, depending on complexity, says Robertson Rivet. More than 1,000 have gone to the Mustard Seed, while the rest have gone to front-line workers and vulnerable people through various organizations across Western Canada.
“I cannot thank everyone enough for their efforts and hard work to help flatten the curve and keep one another safe,” she said. “My heart is full with gratitude, and I hope that people will continue to care.”
