ATHOL — “I guess it was just the need that motivated me,” said Sally Wheeler. “You start to see posts on Facebook; of course, you always question whether those are legit or not when you first see them.”
When she spotted a post from a good friend, however, that’s when Wheeler decided it was time to get busy trying to fill the need for Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for those on the front lines of the battle against the COVID-19 virus.
“I knew at that point it was legit, so I started sending masks to her, initially; then, a couple of weeks later, the need for the scrub caps came up and I’ve been working on both since then.”
Wheeler says sewing is not her vocation.
“My background is not in stitching. I have basic, run-of-the-mill, everyday skills as far as that goes. I probably haven’t even had the sewing machine out of the closet in many years.”
“As far as the scrub caps go,” she said Monday morning, “I think I’ve made 108. On the masks, I was at, like, 486, and I have another 20 at the half-way point right now. So, I’m at around 500 on the masks.”
Wheeler said the caps take a bit more time to make than do the masks.
“Although I’ve got a pretty good system going. I can crank them out pretty well when I have the time to devote just to that. Sometimes it’s piecemeal, though; you do a little part of it here, a little part of it there, and you’re back and forth between other things. So, it all depends on the day.”
Wheeler said some people have donated cash to use for fabric, or contributed fabric outright.
“Initially, it was a little hard to get elastic,” she added. “Finally, after weeks of waiting, orders did come in on that. But it seems like every time we were nearing a standstill, somebody came through with enough to hold me over until the orders got here.”
Normally, Wheeler would be spending mornings at work as secretary of the Athol-Orange Baptist Church and afternoons plying her skills as a massage therapist.
“Obviously, with massage being what it is, it’s going to be a while before I’m back to work. Pretty close contact there. And as far as the church work, I’m down to about an hour a day working from home. So, work is pretty short right now, or non-existent almost.”
In addition to workers at the COVID units at UMass/Memorial Medical Center, Wheeler said she has given masks “to CNAs, ambulance workers, as well as individuals and families who have need of them as well.”
Wheeler added that fabric and thread are the only things that go into her scrub caps and masks.
“I do pray as I’m sewing,” she said. “I wouldn’t say I pray over each one individually, but on the whole, I do pray for those who will be receiving them on the other end.”