Volunteers in Sublimity are making enough masks for all residents

(APRIL 24, 2020) Sublimity is a small city near Salem. It has 3,000 people. It also has at least 16 people with the coronavirus in a local nursing home.

This news has led to a special community project to make masks for every resident of Sublimity and surrounding communities in Marion County. The project's name is Masks for Neighbors, and it plans to make and distribute 12,000 homemade masks.

Greg Atkin is a city councilor. He is one of the leaders of the community. He is also leading the mask-making project. He asked for volunteers from the community.

“Almost immediately, with 10 minutes, we had people saying, ‘I’ve got fabric, I’ll donate it,' ” he told The Oregonian newspaper. “I contacted a number of sewers and quilting guilds in our area, and said, ‘If we put a project together would you be willing to help us?’ And of course everybody was overwhelmingly, ‘Yes, we can certainly do that.’”

The project received a $5,000 grant from the Marie Lamfrom Charitable Foundation for the fabric. So far, volunteers have made more than 2,000 masks. Some have already been given to senior citizens. More will be distributed door to door to everyone. Atkin thinks the project will take another three weeks to complete.

“Sublimity has always been that kind of community,” Atkin added. “I’ve lived here for 35 years and I’ve never not been amazed. When there’s someone with a need, the community steps up to fill it. It is that kind of community where there’s that strong volunteer spirit.”