After posting on Instagram about her desire to help in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Caitlin Zaccardo, an eighth-grader at St. Leo the Great School in Lincroft, put her sewing skills to work making masks for nursing homes and rehabilitation centers in the area.
By Elizabeth Wulfhorst
MIDDLETOWN – Professional tailors aren’t the only ones putting their skills to use to help others during the coronavirus outbreak.
Caitlin Zaccardo, an eighth-grader at St. Leo the Great School in Lincroft and Isaac Buckman, a junior at High Technology High School, also in Lincroft, recently DIYed hundreds of masks for those in need.
Long before there was a pandemic driving a shortage of surgical masks, Caitlin was known for her big heart and willingness to help people. So it is no surprise she would figure out a way to help those impacted by COVID-19. Once Caitlin heard of the shortage of medical supplies, specifically masks for caregivers and those with compromised immune systems, she knew she could help.
Caitlin first sewed masks for extended family members with compromised immune systems. Then, through a youth group post on Instagram, she shared her idea of sewing masks for others in need. A member of the community contacted her requesting masks for area nursing and rehabilitation homes. Caitlin needed elastic to continue producing the masks and within days, 100 yards of elastic was delivered to her home in Middletown from the community member.
Sewing may be in Caitlin’s DNA – her grandmother is an experienced seamstress but her talent for sewing started when she earned her Girl Scout sewing badge. Once she completes 100 masks for the nursing and rehabilitation homes, Caitlin intends to reach out to the hospitals and doctors testing for COVID-19 in Red Bank and the surrounding area to offer help.
One hundred masks is a lot but that was just the halfway point for Isaac who, over the course of a day, sewed around 200 masks and produced five face shields, all destined for local hospitals as a supplement to N95 masks.
COURTESY ISAAC BUCKMAN
Over the course of 24 hours, Isaac Buckman, a junior at High Technology High School in Lincroft sewed 200 face masks and produced five face shields for medical staff at local hospitals. He undertook the challenge with the hope that others will be inspired to help those in need in the community.
On April 5 Isaac sewed for 24 hours straight with- out any extended breaks, streaming the whole event on Twitch, a live streaming platform for gamers. The goal of the project was twofold Isaac said, “To spread the message that hospitals need more people to be DIY-manufacturing face masks and face shields” and “to motivate others to help out in the effort against COVID-19.”
Isaac learned to sew for a school project. “My family had a sewing machine that had been sitting in the closet for years, so I thought I would give it a try,” he said. “I have been sewing a few projects for fun, including a backpack and fixing problems with my brother’s clothes.”
He used over 30 yards of 100 percent cotton muslin for the masks, more than he expected to use, he said, which he purchased at JOANN and Walmart with his own funds. Isaac used a tie-on design for his masks since “the elastic needed for making many designs is totally out of stock everywhere,” he said.
Isaac put his father’s 3D printer to use to make the face shields. He has been using the printer for a number of years to make projects for school assignments. Following a design he found on the Thingiverse website, he was able to complete five shields during his 24-hour challenge.
“I realize that most people do not have access to this equipment, so I feel that it is my responsibility to help,” Isaac said. “I am trying to keep the printer running 24/7 so I can make as many face shields as possible.”
Isaac was also very concerned about keeping the masks and shields safe for the medical professionals who may end up wearing them. He can be seen in the video sanitizing his work area and his hands often and he wore his own face mask throughout the process. And he explained that all of the masks and shields will be washed and sanitized before being donated.
“Hopefully the hospitals will never have to use this (equipment) because there’ll be enough N95s, but in the case that they run out, these should be useful for our local hospital,” Isaac said in the video.
He urged everyone else to help any way they can, “whether by making masks or by getting groceries for those who are more at risk.”
This article originally appeared in the April 9th, 2020 print edition of The Two River Times.
