Hospice nurse getting help from community as she makes homemade masks

Many manufacturers have stepped up to meet the need. But the need is so great, many people are making masks in their own homes. Some Neighborhood Heroes in Raleigh have made a neighborly assembly line.

Here's how a young mom figured she could help solve a world problem. She could do it one street corner, one stuffed mailbox, one stitch at a time.

There's something therapeutic about sitting at a sewing machine. Lauren Williams knows the feeling. The humming and the needle-eyed focus on the task at hand.

Her task is making masks.

"People are collecting all types of masks, even homemade masks," Williams said.

When it felt like the world was coming apart at the seams, Williams knew she could do something. She has the hardware, now if people would cotton to her idea.

"But I thought if I could get help of the whole neighborhood, I could get people who didn't have sewing machines or who didn't know how to sew, cut the pieces for me and speed up the process," Williams said.

"Which I think is so beautiful," Williams said. "If you have a piece of cotton, a pair of scissors, you can help contribute to health care professionals doing their job."

"They're not suitable to take care of an active patient with the COVID virus, but they're gonna provide protection when you're other protective equipment is not available," Williams said.

"People are collecting all types of masks, even homemade masks."

"Since I was home from school, I was cleaning out my closet, and I have a lot of T-shirts," Volpe said. "So I had some free time, why don't I cut out some squares and donate them."

And the cotton is high.

"Over 50 emails from neighbors just (Monday) saying 'What can I do to help? Hey, I have a spool of elastic'," Williams said.

It doesn't solve all the world's problems, but it's one way neighbors are threading the needle and keeping our social fabric strong.