Amid the ongoing pandemic, most people are staying at home while essential workers do their best to keep grocery stores and hospitals running. One SCHS club, Bears to Share, has begun a local project to help those who are in need of masks.

Bears to Share normally makes stuffed bears to donate to children’s hospitals. However, as club president sophomore Shailee Nanavati heard about the extreme mask and PEE shortages, she knew she had to do something.

“I was watching the news and saw that doctors and nurses did not have masks,” Nanavati said. “It really upset me how they were risking their lives and we weren’t doing anything to help.”

For the project, Nanavati was able to utilize supplies from making stuffed bears and created a video tutorial for volunteers to follow. She also put together mask-making kits for club members with fabric and sewing supplies.

“Once members have the kits, the tutorial video and my contact information it is fairly easy to sew and put together (a mask), but it does take a lot of time,” Nanavati said. “I deeply appreciate the effort all members have put into this so far.”

Although the operation is running smoothly, Nanavati found that organizing it was an obstacle. She spent many hours figuring out how to get fabric and elastic, which are currently in high demand, and how to safely deliver kits to volunteers.

Sophomore Tara Khambadkone found that sewing got easier as she continued to make masks.

“Mask-making took a while to get used to, but I got the hang of it after sewing the first couple,” Khambadkone said. “I’ve given away three masks so far.”

Despite the initial difficulty, Khambadkone found she enjoyed the relaxing process of making masks, especially after the school day.

Junior Densie Le also enjoys the mask-making project and working with her mother.

“The most fun part of being this project was being able to work with my mom and bond with her while we made the masks together,” Le said. “A nice aspect of this project is that it doesn’t need to be a solo activity, so I was able to get my mom’s help and spend time with her.”

For Le, learning how to sew was the challenging part of creating the masks.

“I have little experience with sewing and I had to ask my mom to help me, but the video tutorial that the club sent out was extremely helpful,” Le said.

Sophomore Maia Kumar hopes that this project will leave an impact on its volunteers and is glad to know she is doing her part.

“I hope that this mask-making journey will leave a lasting impact on those who volunteered their time to support Bears to Share,” Kumar said. “I hope that people will feel compelled to make a difference during these challenging times and value our healthcare workers.”

The club aims to make 500 masks. Nanavati believes that with her set of volunteers, including new members, they can reach this goal and make an impact.

“I sometimes tell my members, when the sewing gets challenging or frustrating, just think of someone wearing the mask they are making,” Nanavati said. “That mask could save their life.”

To learn more about Bears to Share’s mask-making efforts, follow @bearstoshareschs on Instagram. To volunteer, fill out this form: https://forms.gle/WRBpgJYSYRuPR5Bh9