COVID-19: Sew Face Masks for Homeless and Low-Income Individuals in Seattle

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Labeled as "ground zero" of the COVID-19 pandemic, Seattle is home to thousands of homeless and low-income individuals who need face masks to help prevent from contracting and spreading the deadly virus. With the CDC advising that masks be worn while in public, those living outside and/or without permanent shelter do not have the safe option to stay indoors. If you know how to sew, please help Real Change make a tremendous, direct impact on the lives of those living without shelter by making face masks from home and mailing them to our office at Real Change, 219 1st Ave. S., Suite 220, Seattle, WA 98104.

Easy to follow tutorials on how to make homemade face masks can be found online, including:

• Sewing Machine Video Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8OyV15ua24
• Sew by Hand Video Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2Lwyw2tOng
• Hospital Instructions: https://psjh.blob.core.windows.net/covid/Instructions%20Community%20Mask.pdf
• CDC instructions: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html

If you would like to join this volunteer opportunity or have any questions at all, please reply to this post or email volunteer@realchangenews.org for further details.

We are happy to work with students looking to receive service-learning hours for this project, or anyone looking to receive credited volunteer hours.

About Real Change: Founded in 1994, the Real Change Homeless Empowerment Project is an award-winning nonprofit newspaper that provides immediate employment opportunity to homeless and low-income people throughout the Pacific Northwest. Highly regarded as the leading street newspaper in North America, Real Change provides a low-barrier employment opportunity to an average of 250 homeless and low-income individuals each month while challenging the structures that create poverty. We envision a just, caring and inclusive community, where people are no longer marginalized by racism and classism and have the means to live with dignity. To read more about the Real Change Vendors who earn income by selling the street newspaper, please read profiles published at https://www.realchangenews.org/vendor-profiles