Volunteers of the Heart Pillow Ministry have been gathering for years sewing heart-shaped pillows for use by patients recovering from cardiac surgery. But during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic, these volunteers have been called into action in a different way.
In conjunction with the Prayer Shawl Ministry, volunteers have switched gears to making masks for healthcare workers. While this presented challenges at first, (finding the pattern online, finding alternatives for elastic, figuring out the accordion effect for the masks, & finding a way to be able to allow the user to change out the filter tissue each time worn) the volunteers met those challenges and worked through them.
After initially being contacted by Pastor Ryan Jacobson about making masks for those in need, the group was then contacted by member Ruth Bongio asking if they would be able to help the clinic where she works with masks. Volunteers Karen Keck, Patricia Burkhardt, Jimmie Joffe, Donna Murphy and Frances Bains all jumped in with gusto each making 20 masks that were presented to Ruth to pass on to staff at Northeast OB GYN clinic with an additional 6 masks made for couriers who travel between all 6 of the associated locations.
Frances Bains, leader of the Heart Pillow Ministry, said the endeavor has been a learning and rewarding experience in itself and they were so glad to have been able to help others as they themselves helped their patients. As Frances said, “Anytime we can serve God by serving others is reward in itself.”
