HOUSTON, Texas — A lack of medical supplies is making it difficult for healthcare professionals to do their jobs. One tool they desperately need is medical masks.
That's where this Brazoria County grandmother and her granddaughter are doing what they can to help.
It’s not the first past-time hobby you’d expect an 8-year-old child to pick up.
“I like making Barbie dresses, stuffed animals and pillows," Ella Bruce says about sewing.
But with her grandma by her side and her machine at her hands, Ella is doing so much more than sewing. She’s saving lives.
“This is where the magic happens," Ella said. "I like being kind and stuff.”
With her grandmother, Gloria Sanderson, as her teacher, the two have settled on a new mission of making medical masks.
“We’re all, like, what are we going to do if they run out of masks? Everybody is going to get contaminated. Everybody is going to get sick so I just thought it was a good thing," Sanderson said.
Sanderson looked up how to sew the masks online and then taught Ella.
It’s only been a day, but so far, the two have made more than 50 re-washable masks in all prints and colors.
“People started calling me, (saying) 'Hey, we need 20. Hey, we need 3. We need four. We need some for the hospital,'" Sanderson said.
They leave the masks on the porch and let those who need them stop by to pick them up.
“Like, hospitals, nursing homes, people that work in the medical field," Sanderson said.
It’s kindness and caring spread by a needle and thread.
If you would like to help, Gloria and Ella are taking donations. From cloth to elastic, they say anything will help.
If you would like to reach out to donate or are in need of masks, email Ella's mother, Gloria Ibarra, at igloria82@yahoo.com.