MESQUITE (KTNV) — Just over an hour away from the Las Vegas Strip, the small town of Mesquite is helping in a big way during the coronavirus pandemic.
A number of volunteers there are stitching together face masks to help protect Mesquite's most vulnerable.
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“It's mostly a retirement community here,” said Ashley Oliver. “That’s was why COVID-19 was really a concern for us with the high-risk population we have."
Oliver has lived in Mesquite for 10 years and is a specialist with JustServe Mesquite, an organization that connects volunteers with different projects. Their latest mission is Face Masks for Mesquite.
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The masks they are making are 100% cotton and use waterproof surgical sheets donated by the local hospital to make them more effective. They are also in the process of making a different, more advanced version of the masks for hospital workers.
“It’s so nice to see everyone come together,” said Linda Evans.
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Evans has been sewing for more than 50 years and is the project manager for Face Masks for Mesquite. She says in just five days, the volunteers made more than 1,000 masks and they’re just getting started.
Both Evans and Oliver were able to get more help from volunteers through the Facebook page, Mesquite Nevada Coronavirus Help. The man who created the page says he is surprised by the big response.
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“I thought I would set this up and I might get a few people on there, but it just blew up,” said Kris Zurbas. “It’s incredible to see how people started joining and helping and it just shows you what kind of community mesquite is."
Being helpful is sewn into the fabric of who they are as a community and while the town may be small, their impact will be felt by many.
To learn more about the Face Masks for City of Mesquite project on JustServe visit JustServe.org.
