Volunteers Create Masks For State Legislators, Staff

State Representative Robin Lundstrum of House District 87 told her mother she needed to find a facial covering to wear to the annual fiscal session of the 100-member House meeting during this covid-19 outbreak, while down in Little Rock.

Already in a special session held two weeks ago, three House members who were in attendance, had become ill and tested positive for the virus.

Lundstrum knew it was important to be at the fiscal session but worried about not enough facial coverings for all the House members and staff thrust into a fiscal session to decide the state’s budget in these uncertain times.

The 100-member House is meeting in the basketball arena of the Jackson T. Stephens Events Center in downtown Little Rock, rather than in the House Chamber at the state Capitol.

The conversation with Lundstrum’s mother, Margie Hall, suddenly became a quickly-put-together effort to have several women sew not only masks for the 100-member House, but also another 160 or so masks for the House staff, security and other state employees working with the special session.

“And I tell you, my mom and sister (Toni Hall), and lots of other ladies got it done,” Lundstrum said via telephone in Little Rock last week.

The cloth masks come in an array of colors and patterns. Some are Razorbacks with white hogs on a red background. There are Batman masks. There are masks from a collage of baseball printed fabric and even some with police badges printed on them.

This type of face covering — cloth masks — is mentioned as part of the

Centers for Disease Control’s effort to help Americans who cannot stay at home to at least avoid spreading the virus. Even with social distancing in place, these types of masks, the CDC website says, can lessen the statistics for contracting the virus.

One hurdle to overcome was where they would find enough elastic for the 260-plus face coverings.

Lundstrum said it came from a suggestion of one of the volunteers.

She called La-Z-Boy Inc., in Siloam Springs, and when asked, the company quickly delivered enough elastic piping for all the masks so they could be completed prior to the session starting last week.

Those local women, participating in the making of the masks included Margie Hall and Toni Hall, both of Elm Springs; Darla McCormick and Hannah Lockhart, both of Springdale; Barbara Landry, Debbie Carter and Brenda Lockhart, all of Tontitown.

From Siloam Springs came these volunteer seamstresses, Mittie Greening, Kelsey Greening, Rachel Thrailkill, Renee Philpot and Christy Barnett. Also assisting was Sharon Stuthard of Fayetteville.

“It was a districtwide effort,” Lundstrum said. “Once the word got out and the material was found, it was no time until we had quite a volunteer effort underway.”

SUBMITTED PHOTO State Rep. Clint Penza of Tontitown shows off his face mask he wore during the fiscal session of the Arkansas Legislature. Many women from Northwest Arkansas made masks for all members of the House of Representatives, House staff, security and other state employees working during the session.