GREATER SPRINGFIELD – A group of Western Massachusetts residents are working to make homemade masks for medical professionals who are working on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.

Longmeadow resident Jessica Karr said she was inspired to start sewing the reusable masks by her husband, who works in the medical field. This, she said, gave her firsthand knowledge about the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) around the country such as disposable masks and gowns. “We’ve been hearing about medical staff running out of supplies,” she said.

While her husband was unsure if he’d be able to use the homemade masks, Karr said she saw a news story about people across the country making the masks. “So I was like, clearly somebody is using these,” she said.

Karr then created a Facebook group called “Better than a bandana.” The group name is a reflection of CDC guidelines, which recommend using a bandana or scarf should medical personnel run out of PPE. “Obviously it’s not ideal, but the argument is they’re better than nothing or better than a bandana, which is what the CDC is recommending,” Karr explained.

She said the group “grew really quickly” with people around the country joining, offering to make masks or donate material for masks. She said while the group consists of “people primarily in this area,” she also invited everyone on her personal account to join, resulting in people across the country joining the local movement.

Additionally, Karr said they joined forces with another group that had been created on Facebook called DIY Masks of Western Mass. She said this has allowed them to share resources. Both groups have people donating items, preparing items, cutting up fabric and sewing the masks.

Karr said while they’re open to accepting donations of almost everything, they need specific materials in order to make sure the masks are effective. The fabric for the masks, she said, “has to be 100 percent cotton.” While old t-shirts may fall into this category, Karr said they’re unable to use them due to their porous nature. She said often people use “the fabric people make quilts out of.” The group has also been using flannel baby blankets, which Karr said “are just a little softer.”

She said the group is also “leaving a spot open in the bottom [of the mask] to put a filter in.” This, Karr explained, will give an additional layer of protection to those using them, but also allow the masks to be washed and reused. Also needed within the masks are “some sort of metal around where the nose bridge is.” The metal around the nose will allow the mask to close, and like the filter, allow for extra protection. She said the group has been using pipe cleaners for this as they’re easily accessible.

In addition to fabric, the group is also seeking donations of elastic, but is also exploring options for ties for the masks as “doctors and nurses prefer to have ties instead of the elastic.” One suggestion Karr said she received recently was adding using shoelaces, which would be durable enough to wash and not take as much time to sew as ties made of fabric.

She said the group is also continuing to look for volunteers, and not just people who are able to sew. “If they don’t sew, but just want to assemble the items to trade off with someone who does sew,” she said that is always an option.

The group set a goal to create 100 masks over the course of the March 21 weekend. Karr said the group exceeded that goal by quite a bit. “We probably made over 325 masks between group members,” she said. The group has not yet set a new goal, but Karr said people are continuing to make masks if they have the materials available.

Once the masks are finished, she said people can arrange a porch drop-off through one of the administrators of the groups, or go to the DIY Masks group, where a spreadsheet of those requesting masks has been made (https://signup.com/go/XUQzFRQ). Those who don’t know how to sew, but still want to help, can also do so through donating money for materials. Karr said she set up a GoFundMe page specifically for this reason as she and other group members were spending their own money, and they “don’t have an expendable income.” The page can be found at https://www.gofundme.com/f/better-than-a-bandana.

Karr went on to acknowledge the work of her fellow group administrator and friend, Katie Standiford, who she said has been making a lot of masks. “She has been rocking and rolling it, [and] has already made like 70 masks. She created tutorials on how to sew them and put them together,” Karr said.

The groups have and are continuing to reach out to local hospitals and private medical practices to see who can and will use the masks, but have also been distributing them to people they know personally. Those interested in helping can find both groups on Facebook, and can reach out there.