Featured Volunteer: Amy Loar
So this is Amy and Phil Loar...two long time supporters of Bikes for the World. We've already highlighted Phil before and we truly can't say enough about this guy, but this time our focus is on his wife Amy who is an avid quilter. And as you might guess, has her own sewing (or quilting) circles. She helped us close the circle on a local mask making effort popping up in a basement in Takoma Park.
Recently past board member John Burg reached out to us to see if we had any sewing machines he could borrow. He and his wife Heather wanted to make masks to distribute locally to anyone who needed them. Here's where Phil, and Amy come in. The week before Phil had dropped by with a car full of sewing machines. Really. Five to be exact, in perfect working order. They were now sitting in our warehouse ready to ship but with our containers grounded they weren't going anywhere fast. So we offered them to John and his makeshift 'sweat shop' in the basement.
Back to the story in the basement- John is still tweaking his assembly line but hopes to ramp up production soon. He and Heather have given out a few dozen masks while also delivering food to elderly residents in the area. Most of the masks have gone to staff working in these apartment facilities. Meanwhile across town, Yvette Hess, Outreach Coordinator is also tucked in her basement wrestling with pins and bobbins making masks for her wife who is an essential worker in Maryland.
Just like our partners are doing overseas, Board Chair, Karen Hendrixson wanted to support local mask making efforts. Karen has been purchasing her masks in Arlington to help support two women struggling through this pandemic by making masks. She feels good about putting money into the local economy, supporting those affected families, and she feels great about not needing to tap into old faulty sewing skills. This also gives her more time to assist Taylor who is focused on navigating us through this tough time.
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