Fab Lab NOLA at Delgado Volunteers Fabricate 2,050 Face Masks for Community Distribution by Son of a Saint

January 15, 2021

Working for months beginning in the fall, volunteers organized by Fab Lab NOLA at Delgado Community College have fabricated 2,050 COVID-19 protective cloth face masks to be distributed by the Son of a Saint organization to boys in the New Orleans area.

Each cloth mask has a pocket for a filter, a metal nose band, and elastic that wraps behind the head for comfort. 

This project was possible thanks to the help of an army of volunteers: 30 Delgado employees and Fab Lab community members took batches of pre-cut patterns and returned with sewn masks.

Kipp Central City Academy teachers and students helped finish 860 masks. Metairie Park Country Day School students helped finish 200 masks. Volunteers from as far away as Tennessee completed batches of masks and shipped them back to the lab. 

“We worked hard to make as many masks as we could, and we are very proud of our community of volunteers for helping us to fabricate more than 2,000 high-quality masks,” said Elizabeth Buehler, Manager, Fab Lab NOLA at Delgado Community College.

“This project was a massive undertaking that would not have been possible to complete without the support of our wonderful community and a generous donation from Chevron,” Buehler said.

“We are pleased to work with Son of a Saint to get the masks to the people in the city who need them the most,” Buehler said.

 “Chris Hatten of Kipp Central City Academy and Gretchen Zalkind volunteered hours of their time to organize workshops and the volunteer effort in the city. Special thanks to both of them,” she said.

Additional information about the project is at http://www.fablabnola.tech/. A news story that appeared on WGNO-TV in October 2020 can be seen here.