Erika Pike was struggling with the weight of quarantine. Two weeks in, she remained at her home in Avon, stuck attending e-learning lessons every day for the PTO group at her children’s school. Pike is the president of the Sycamore Elementary PTO, a position that led her to put her hobby as a seamstress on hold. Stuck at home with nothing but free time, Pike realized that she could pick up sewing again, and use it to make a difference.

Pike read online that sewers around the country were making masks for healthcare workers during the pandemic. She reached out to some of her friends who worked at the Eskenazi Health Center in Indianapolis to ask if sewn masks would actually be helpful. The response was a resounding yes.

Pike’s efforts spread instantly. What began as one woman working out of her home spread by word of mouth and social media. Now Pike works with a team of nearly 6,000 volunteers operating to sew and donate masks for first response health workers. Pike described the growth, “I didn’t even know these women who stepped up to help. And we’ve built lifelong friendships and have this amazing team of leaders that have come together.”

The group operates under the name “Sew and Serve,” and creates masks through a process of fabric donations which are then sewed and delivered to drop off points by volunteer “makers.” The network of women and men communicate via Facebook, where they can share strategies and messages of positivity.

The COVID-19 virus created a shortage of surgical masks in circulation. This shortage has affected even hospital workers, which led the CDC to make a recommendation. “In settings where facemasks are not available, HCP might use homemade masks (e.g., bandana, scarf) for care of patients with COVID-19 as a last resort,” the CDC said. Sew and Serve provides help with that last resort. The group has donated 87,321 masks to 521 medical facilities, and that number is only growing.

The impact of Sew and Serve goes beyond providing masks to healthcare professionals, as the group also offers a sense of community despite isolation. Every day, Sew and Serve’s Facebook page is flooded with messages of joy and hope. From a video of a mother singing while making masks to a message saying how proud one volunteer is of everyone participating.

Quarantine impacts the mentality of those in isolation. Sew and Serve volunteer Andrea Spiegelberg explained the situation of several makers. “Some of these people live alone, and they can’t even leave their house,” Spiegelberg said. This loneliness can have a negative impact on a person’s mental health, but that loneliness is combatted by the community provided through Sew and Serve. “I was thinking about how it’s been so good for so many people’s mental health to be able to have a purpose,” Pike said.

During the pandemic, Sew and Serve is not only providing much-needed masks to healthcare workers, the group is creating community and purpose among its volunteers. You can learn more about Sew and Serve’s mission at their website.