Over two hundred masks have been stitched and donated to essential workers in the greater Farmingdale area—courtesy of dozens of aides and monitors from the Farmingdale School District.
Lisa Bell— a Woodward Parkway Elementary School aide, seamstress, and member of the Facebook group, Stitched Together Long Island, went to work right after school buildings were closed to help produce the protective equipment in short supply in our metro area. Soon afterwards, she partnered with Aides and Monitors CSEA Union President Margee Erdody to expand the mask production into a districtwide effort. Presently, there are dozens of Farmingdale district aides and monitors pooling both their sewing talents and their available supplies to make masks, headbands, and surgical caps.
“People have anonymously left fabric and money at my front door,” said Ms. Bell, a long-time Farmingdale resident. “Many are asking how they can help. Right now, only five of us have sewing machines, the rest are sewing by hand. We could use more sewers with machines. Donations of fabric are better than money right now, because stores are closed and ordering fabric takes weeks.”
Fabric donations need to be cotton or a cotton blend, and at least 10 x 14 inches. Anyone with fabric to donate, or the ability and time to sew, can contact Ms. Bell at the following email: ebell@farmingdaleschools.org.
“Lisa is such a Daler through and through. She has a tremendous heart and she is always looking for ways to help our school and our community,” said Woodward Parkway Elementary School Principal Patrick Klocek. “Her leadership and willingness to use her talents to ensure that our healthcare workers get the protective equipment they need is inspiring! We are so proud of her partnership with Margee and we are grateful to the team of aides and monitors who are involved in this work!”
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