We were very excited to complete our very first Trauma-Focussed Garden and the completion of the 6-week resilience workshop. To celebrate the completion and to invite our artist Edie Cohn to sign the painting she created on the walls at Cumberland Juvenile justice detention center. We came up with a logo for a t-shirt idea.

Hope you all liked it. It was designed by Jayanthi and Natasha and Holly (Dr. Natasha’s daughter) working overnight and getting it printed in fervor and excitement! Along with all our members and supporters’ feedback. We got it printed the same week!! We are very proud of the way it looks and it conveys the idea that the whole world will have many such gardens very shortly! So team, gear up to travel with us virtually and spread the concept!!

As our country begins to open back up again, our nonprofit TFTC Gardens who has been sponsoring this Masks for Heroes project is putting together our plan to transition back to the mission of our nonprofit of creating indoor and outdoor trauma-focused therapeutic spaces for at-risk populations.

Our goal is to complete as many of the current 4,129 requests we have and use the existing shipping budget to cover shipping those masks out by Saturday, May 30th. If we are able to accomplish this goal, then each of you, as part of our mask-making family will have helped 40,000 front line heroes receive cloth masks during this Covid-19 pandemic.

Thank you for being an answer to prayer for each of our front line heroes who have received your gift of a cloth mask over the past 9 weeks. “We may not all be in the same boat, but we are all in the same storm.” Thank you for going through this storm together with us!

To learn more about how you can continue helping with this project until May 30, 2020, please visit https://tftcgardens.org/masks-for-heroes/.

This small but mighty group of ladies focused on serving others and has now donated more than 2,500 cloth masks for healthcare providers, police officers, businesses, individuals, and the military. Their goal is to continue making cloth masks as long as there is a need for them at no charge to “keep people safe”. This group works solely on donations of fabric and elastic and monetary donations go towards supplies.

You can learn more about how to volunteer with Masks for Mandy, donate supplies or request cloth masks through their Facebook Group: Masks for Mandy.

Thank you for supporting our front line heroes as we continue to volunteer through this pandemic together. We currently have 4,268 requests for cloth masks from front line workers across the country on our spreadsheet. These front line heroes are medical professionals, prison workers, child care workers, agencies serving adults with disabilities, caregivers for children with cancer, senior living facility workers, grocery store workers, manufacturing employees, county jail staff, police officers, members of our military, veterinarian employees, and pharmacy workers.

We are grateful for all of the groups from around the country who are coming together to make masks and share them in their local communities and with people in other states. Some of the groups we are honored to be working with include Masks for Mandy, the Fuquay-Varina Junior Woman’s Club, Charlotte Mask Marauders, RVA Masks 4 Health, Sew There Quilts and More, Our Lady of La Vang Church, and Ash Creek Baptist Church Mask Makers.

And for fun, I created a map to show where our cloth masks have been going across the country. This map includes all the data we had as of April 30, 2020.

A group of 30 women with the Fuquay-Varina Junior Woman’s Club has answered the call for cloth masks in their local community. Their current contribution of 278 coth masks have been donated to front line workers at UNC Rex Hospital; Gabriel Manor Assisted Living Center in Clayton, NC; Wake Med Raleigh Hospital; Wake Med Transitional Health; Pine Acres Community Center; Duke Raleigh Radiology; and family and friends.

The dedication of this group of women can be witnessed through their commitment of volunteer service, in-kind donations and/or monetary support to organizations such as the Emergency Food Bank, Fuquay-Varina Chamber of Commerce and Run The Quay, Fuquay-Varina Library, InterAct, Hand of Hope, Military Missions in Action, Fuquay-Varina Police and Fire Departments, Fuquay-Varina Parks and Recreation, Read and Feed, local elementary and middle schools and many, many more.

Every November this group hosts an annual charity ball to raise donations for projects they have chosen to help within their community. This past year they were able to raise over $16,000 to help with several projects and support the missions of many organizations within their community. Some of these projects and organizations include the Food Pantry, FVPD Teen Day, MMIA, Fire Dept Car Seat Program, FVMS Graphing Calculators, FV Library, Harnett Co. Animal Shelter, MOPS, LHES playground toys, Women’s Self Defense Workshop, FV Arts Center Friends Sponsor, Ballentine Elem playground toys, LHES Lego/Stem donation, FVES paper, Wake Co. Animal Shelter, Lafayette Elem Stem Class, TEARS Foundation, Duke/Rex/UNC NICU, Interact, FV Arts Center inaugural performance of The Nutcracker for props, FV Parks and Rec Sports scholarships, South Park Field 2 Tree Plantings, South Lakes Elem Buddy Bench, Lunch fund at HARES, Arts Inspired dance scholarships, CAFE Arts dance scholarships for a handicap dance team, and bought disabled Barbies for a local daycare.

For more information about this wonderful organization visit their website at https://www.fuquayjuniors.org/

In just one day – one day mind you – you added 1,434 cloth masks to our completed spreadsheet. That’s right! As of right now, you have helped 28,717 front line heroes receive cloth masks they have been searching for. You have sent them your love and your gratitude all wrapped up in a cozy, soft, cloth mask.

Thank you, for once again, showing me, and everyone else – how we can move mountains when we work together. You inspire me! Thank you for never giving up and never giving in. Our front line heroes deserve only the best, and we have 3,212 front line heroes still checking their mailbox, praying their mask will arrive.

We can do this! You have proved, beyond the shadow of a doubt – that together – we can do this!!

For more information about our Masks for Heroes project visit our webpage or Facebook group.

Photo courtesy of mask recipients: Wake Women’s Health, Raleigh, NC

Our group has grown to 350 volunteers from across the country, sewing masks for front line heroes in hospitals, grocery stores, nursing homes, warehouses, manufacturing plants, and EMS personnel within 38 states. Our volunteers will continue providing cloth masks as long as they have materials to continue making cloth masks, and we have funding to cover shipping costs.

Anna Campbell is the Marketing and Community Relations Manager with TFTC Gardens. She shares, “our front line heroes continue to show up, day after day and sacrifice their wellbeing for ours, and it is an honor to be able to answer their call for cloth masks. We understand cloth masks are not PPE and support the production and supply of PPE to our medical professionals. During this time, this is how we can show them how much we care about them and appreciate everything they are doing for us.”

We are grateful for organizations partnering with us by donating their time, resources, and funds for our volunteers to continue making cloth masks and shipping them out. We thank Our Lady of La Vang Church in Raleigh, Ash Creek Baptist Church Mask Makers, Sew There Quilts and More, Moonlite Electric & Construction Inc., Lee’s Tailor in Apex, 9 Carvings LLC, ARS Extreme Construction, Lee’s Tailor in Triangle Mall, and Raleigh Little Theater for their support. We are also grateful for our volunteers who are flexing their well-experienced sewing muscles or learning how to sew for the first time.

Trauma Focused Therapeutic Community (TFTC) Gardens welcomes all volunteers who can sew. For more information about our Masks for Heroes project visit our webpage or Facebook group.

Photo courtesy of mask recipients: Montifer Hospital in Bronx, NY

We are supporting the use of PPE, we know and support the fact that cloth masks are not a replacement for PPE. We also support the correct laundering of masks using CDC guidelines to reduce infection risks. To further reduce the spread of infection all masks must be taken on and off using CDC guidelines, correctly discarded if contaminated with bodily fluids, washed regularly, use correct hand hygiene and avoid touching your face. We support the need to supply PPE to all areas including rural locations when available.

https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/environmental/background/laundry.html

Requesting Masks?

We are grateful for your service as front line workers. At this time, we are accepting requests from official locations of hospitals, EMS, Police, and related front line heroes requesting cloth masks until we are no longer able to provide masks or cover the shipping costs of those masks.

Request cloth masks here: https://tftcgardens.org/request-cloth-masks/

You can see current and completed requests on our spreadsheet:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1X1n2H5tpVmP6Mch-cd0IzE-yu-YBVZh-dHj1Kk0C55U/edit?usp=sharing

How can you help?

We need people who can sew masks and ship them to front line workers across North Carolina and the United States of America. This site will be updated as information becomes available. Since March 21, 2020, our volunteers have provided 30,165 front line heroes with cloth masks in  AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IL, IN, KS, LA, MA, MD, MI, MO, Navajo Nation, NC, ND, NH, NM, NJ, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI & WY.

Not able to sew? That is ok – we are in need of fabric, materials, or donations to cover shipping costs. Every donation will be used for these mask resources.

Join our Facebook group and stay in the loop:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/MasksForHeroes/

Mask templates: 

We have several types of masks being requested. Masks with a pocket (they will insert their own filter), masks without a pocket, masks with elastic, and masks with ties. We include the type requested next to each location on our spreadsheet. Thank you!

Instructions:

• Face mask with filter pocket and nose guard pocket: https://youtu.be/KBR98YKAr7w
• Easy face mask with filter pocket and no pleats: https://youtu.be/zm_NmpdgWWA
• Cloth mask designed by an RN with a pocket and fits over n95 masks. Use only cotton fabric: Surgical Mask Pattern with Pocket Template
• Reusable cotton masks with pocket and adjustable ties: https://jennifermaker.com/face-mask-patterns-cricut
• A.B. cotton reusable masks with ties: https://www.instructables.com/id/AB-Mask-for-a-Nurse-by-a-Nurse/
• Embroidery friends – Free face mask applique – https://smartneedle.com/product/free-face-mask-applique/
• Reusable cotton masks with elastic – Regular version & Pocket version: https://www.craftpassion.com/face-mask-sewing-pattern/
• UNC prefers: Reusable cotton masks with elastic instruction: https://courierpressblogs.com/pdf/howtomakeafacemask.pdf
• Best Material for Masks: https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/best-materials-make-diy-face-mask-virus/

Videos:

• 2-layer mask with pocket and area for a nose wire: https://youtu.be/KBR98YKAr7w
• Filter pocket, ties, and moldable nose – https://youtu.be/BCJcE-r7kcg
• – cloth mask with ties and a pocket: https://youtu.be/p4USPU1Trz4
• Reusable cotton mask instruction video from Deaconess Hospital: https://youtu.be/9tBg0Os5FW
• Cloth medical mask tutorial – Seth recommends 1.5” strips, I bumped it up to 1.75 to accommodate the thickness: https://youtu.be/BFW2xCkWnno
• Reusable cotton mask instruction video: https://youtu.be/VcQ69_ANsRA
• Masks and Face Shield video: https://youtu.be/aNjpH5lBZ8w

Face Shield template:

• Face shield template: Face Shield Template PDF
• Masks and Face Shield video: https://youtu.be/aNjpH5lBZ8w

Scrub Cap Template:

• Scrub cap template: Scrub Cap Template PDF
• Srub cap video: https://youtu.be/8rsqM7wQth4

Headband Template:

• Headband to add buttons and hold masks in place: https://www.marymarthamama.com/crafty-cat/diy-headband-step-by-step-tutorial-with-pictures/

Ready to ship your masks? :

Contact Anna Campbell through our contact page when you have 20+ masks ready for shipment. She will provide you with the location address needing masks and a pre-paid USPS shipping label while funds are available. Then you can schedule a pick-up from your front door!

Who will receive masks?

All front line workers including doctors, nurses, medical admin, hospice workers, senior center staff, grocery store workers, and other emergency personnel. Since March 21, 2020, our volunteers have provided 30,165 front line heroes with cloth masks in  AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, HI, IL, IN, KS, LA, MA, MD, MI, MO, Navajo Nation, NC, ND, NH, NM, NJ, NV, NY, OH, OK, OR, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, WA, WI & WY.

How are financial donations used?

All financial donations received between March 21, 2020, and the end of this fundraiser will be used to create and ship masks to front line heroes. Any excess donations received during this timeframe will be donated towards a hospital and medical supply organization.

CDC Guidelines:

HCP use of homemade masks: In settings where facemasks are not available, HCP might use homemade masks (e.g., bandana, scarf) for the care of patients with COVID-19 as a last resort. However, homemade masks are not considered PPE, since their capability to protect HCP is unknown. Caution should be exercised when considering this option. Homemade masks should ideally be used in combination with a face shield that covers the entire front (that extends to the chin or below) and sides of the face.

• Emergency information: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/ppe-strategy/face-masks.html
• How to use protective equipment: https://www.cdc.gov/hai/pdfs/ppe/ppe-sequence.pdf
• Preventing the spread of the Coronavirus: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/guidance-prevent-spread.html
• Laundry and Bedding guidelines: https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/guidelines/environmental/background/laundry.html

Why is Trauma Focused Therapeutic Community (TFTC) Gardens coordinating this effort? 

Our founder is a nurse working within her community and she understands first hand the dire need for masks for all front line heroes. She has transitioned our cause temporarily to support our local communities during this global pandemic.

Recent Study: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4420971/?fbclid=IwAR2ofNcEHXQq2ghLPrhHQB4v2b0xHNg6IoRH0etT0ibkIXFimSBW3BikpBs

We acknowledge that research shows that cloth masks are not ideal but as the CDC has suggested in a shortage these are an option we are doing out best. If you do wear one of these masks please follow the CDC guideline on hand washing, not touching your face, and how to wash this fabric mask.

Disclaimer: 

We understand that these cloth masks are not a replacement for n95 surgical masks and they need to be used correctly to reduce the spread of disease. This website has been set up to maintain safety by providing instructions for making the masks, washing the masks, transporting them, and providing instructions to those who wear them.

Publicity:

Our project has been listed on these websites:

http://www.handsontriangle.org/other-volunteer-needs/

https://www.nc.gov/volunteer/volunteer-opportunities

As we begin to deal with a global pandemic as a community, we wanted to let you know how Trauma Focused Therapeutic Community (TFTC) Gardens is adapting and responding, so we can keep doing the important work of creating spaces for at-risk adults and youth designed using trauma-informed research to build long-term resiliency skills.

We are prioritizing the health of our volunteers, staff, and the entire community. The COVID-19 pandemic is a social and economic justice issue, as well as a health crisis. Protecting our community is our number one priority, and we understand that we have a social responsibility to keep others safe.

We are postponing all TFTC Gardens projects until further notice to enable our volunteers and supporters to focus on their immediate and community-based needs. During this downtime, we encourage you to reach out to local organizations that are working on the front lines of our communities serving our most vulnerable populations.

We will be sharing updates on our social media accounts and website as new information comes available. Thank you for continuing to build strong and healthy communities.

Your friends at TFTC Gardens