Masks of hope

Aurora Brunel (right) created the Facebook group Masks of Hope in order to create and deliver masks for first responders. Here, she’s pictured with another volunteer, Maria Fernanda Gonzalez, making masks. 

Back in early March, Aurora Brunel had been in close contact with her son Roberto, a seminarian studying in Rome, and he was sharing with her details about the dire situation in Italy, where a lack of personal protective equipment was dangerous for medical professionals. Aurora started watching YouTube videos of people making their own masks and decided to try to do the same. She created a Facebook group called “Masks for Hope” to coordinate making masks for those in need. Friends with sewing machines volunteered to make masks; others purchased fabric and dropped it off at Aurora’s home; one woman she had never met offered a large industrial machine to cut fabrics. Aurora’s friend Marissa Rombado cut fabric and sewed buttons onto headbands, which makes the masks more comfortable. The group has donated thousands of safety products to, among others, fire departments, pediatric clinics and state troopers who work in the airport. Pictured are Aurora (previous page, on right) with volunteer Maria Fernanda Gonzales (on left) working together to make masks. See "Helping Hands: Residents Rally to Make Masks" by Pooja Salhotra for more. 

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