Picking up cloth, needle and thread to stop COVID-19’s spread

April 7, 2020

Cloth face coverings are recommended by health authorities, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), to slow the spread of COVID-19 in communities.

In the spirit of community health, Enbridge employees have been using their spare time to sew cloth face coverings to help flatten the COVID-19 curve.

Dorothea, who works in our Waltham, Massachusetts office, says she can make a cloth face covering in about five minutes, now that she has a pattern and technique worked out.

“They’ve been delivered locally to essential workers in the Boston area. I’ve aimed to prioritize those most affected in the delivery process, including health care workers, USPS employees and family members who are over 60 years old,” she says.

Rachel, an Enbridge employee based in Bay City, Michigan, was inspired by feedback from friends in the medical field.

“I put a request for materials on Facebook, and a friend invited me to join the Seamstresses for Safety group, where they identified alternate materials, approved patterns, drop off locations, and other wonderful ideas,” she says. “I’ve enlisted my nine-year-old daughter to help cut materials. I give her the lengths to cut in fraction equation form—so she gets a bonus math lesson too!”

In Toronto, Enbridge Gas employee Breda repurposed her old Enbridge volunteer shirts to lend a helping hand, once again, to those in need. “They’re 100% cotton T-shirts, and I put them to some good use—as one of the layers in masks I’ve made for my family, friends and neighbors.”

Notes Dorothea: “At the end of the day, if I can help at least one person avoid this deadly virus it will be worth every minute that I've spent making them.”