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Kamloops  

Kamloops looks to sew the curve with 10,000 masks

Let's sew the curve

Sewers in the River City are hoping to "sew the curve" by providing 10,000 masks to frontline workers — everyone from health-care staff to cashiers and delivery drivers. 

As of Wednesday (April 8), they're at 2,711 masks.

It all started two weeks ago, when Kamloops resident Tamara Vukusic asked her Facebook friends if they could provide guidance on sewing a fabric mask. Vukusic's husband is an ER doctor at Royal Inland Hospital (RIH), and had expressed how the supply of N95 masks at work was dwindling. Her sister, a pediatrician in South Carolina, also shared that her clinic was running short on personal protective equipment.

Vukusic, who's the first to admit she doesn't sew, tried her hand at making a fabric mask. With no luck, she turned to the social media platform for help.

"Within an hour, 84 people had shared the post and (we) had so many people wanting to help," she tells Castanet.

Doug McLean from the Kamloops Innovation Centre reached out and offered to help set up a Facebook page. Sew the Curve Kamloops was born, and has since grown to over 1,000 members. 

"We have well over 200 sewers in the group," Vukusic says.

They also launched a Sew the Curve website; people can request a mask (free of charge), offer supplies, donate or join the movement. 

"We've had people from New York, Surrey, Vancouver, Australia and New Orleans contact us (for masks)," Vukusic says. "Someone from Kelowna asked if they could start a local chapter. My response is like, 'Yeah, let's totally do this together!'"

The masks are for any frontline workers, not just those in the health-care field, she adds. Later today, 250 masks will be delivered to the Kamloops RCMP detachment, courtesy of Thompson Tailors in Sahali Mall. Others have been distributed to ASK Wellness, the John Howard Society and seniors homes.

Masks are delivered by volunteers, and come with instructions about how to wear and wash.

One thing that's caught Vukusic by surprise is people who have N95 masks are trading them in for the fabric alternative. Vukusic has received around 595 N95 masks. She says any that do come in are donated to the hospital.

"We're trading (the homemade masks) like Pokémon cards to get other supplies people need." 

Sew the Curve Kamloops is also looking to fill a request for 600 scrub caps and uniform bags for RIH staff.

Since sewing materials can be expensive, Vukusic and her three other admins have launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for supplies. 

Vukusic never thought a single Facebook post would morph into what it has.

"It's amazing what can happen in two weeks," she tells Castanet. "I'm really struck how powerful it is to post something you can't do. It speaks to how we can connect with humans. ... People want to feel useful."



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