Local 90-year-old sewing protective masks to take care of Moose Jaw
Sewing fabric face masks is a trend that has swept the nation since the coronavirus pandemic settled in, and local resident Laure Beaulieu has joined the movement by starting up her own mask project at The Bentley retirement residence. Beaulieu, 90, is a resident of The Bentley and has been sewing protective face masks since the middle of March. She first began the project to help out the care home workers at the Bentley, who were dealing with a shortage of manufactured face masks early on in the pandemic measures. Beaulieu says herself and other residents in the facility have been lucky enough to be clear of the coronavirus so far, but she was worried about the rest of Moose Jaw being properly protected, especially with the shortage of protective equipment.
“I just wanted to give a little bit of extra help,” said Beaulieu. So, Beaulieu took to her sewing machine and turned her personal collection of fabric into masks, which she “sold” to the care home nurses who work at The Bentley for $1 each. As those nurses travelled to work in other care home facilities, the word about her project spread and Beaulieu found herself making more and more fabric masks to fill the gap for local essential workers.
To date, Beaulieu has made over 90 fabric masks, and it has kept her very busy over the last few weeks — but she’s glad to do something to help.
“It sure helps to even pass the time, it’s been really good,” said Beaulieu. Beaulieu has sewed all her life, said her son, and she always has some kind of helpful project on the go. She’s created quilts and sewed storage baskets for walkers and is an expert at hemming pants and fixing pockets on sweaters.
At The Bentley, she regularly mends and alters clothing for people, although she had to take a break from that while she was focused on making masks, and she also helps other residents with their errands and appointments. While the demand for her fabric masks has slowed down now, Beaulieu is more than willing to continue making them as long as there’s interest. She has nine masks currently made, and is prepared to keep going until everyone has the protection they need.