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Leslie Murveit — The Mask-e-teers

Written by Shelley Hebert; Nominated by Liz Vaisben

When Leslie Murveit got an email from a neighbor who was planning to make face coverings and give them to a hospital, she knew right away that she wanted to help. Not knowing how to sew, however, she quickly thought of someone else who did. Leslie’s 84-year-old friend Anita Dippery is a master quilter who was also eager to put her skills to use in these challenging times. Anita began sewing cloth face coverings at the rate of four finished items per hour.

The two later learned that cloth face coverings do not meet the standards required for hospital personnel, so Leslie realized they needed to find others who could benefit from their efforts. Another friend who is a nurse practitioner suggested that nursing homes could use this type of face covering to help limit the spread of infection. Alisa Yee quickly joined Leslie and Anita, and together they became the Three Mask-e-teers. Leslie delivers supplies that have been donated or purchased by others to Anita, picks up the finished face coverings (183 so far), packages them for shipping using online postage labels, and sends them off to Alisa, who then distributes where the face coverings are needed.

Recognizing that there could be members of the Beth Am community who would also want to make face coverings, and congregants who need them, Leslie then reached out through the newsletter. Beth Am Board member Bob Frankle saw the announcement and was eager to see Leslie’s idea implemented, with greater visibility for the project.  

Beth Am volunteers provide their own materials and are given several CDC-approved pattern options to select which style they want to make. So far, Nancy Cavillones, Jenn Bernat, Deborah Lundahl, and Nancy Rudin have signed up to sew, as well as Leslie’s friend Patti Price. Nearly all the 19 requests received to date from congregants for the washable cloth face coverings have been filled, thanks to their efforts.  Leslie also has a limited supply of one-time paper masks available for congregants.

For more information, visit betham.org/face-coverings, or email facecoverings@betham.org if you want to help. Thank you!

Thu, March 28 2024 18 Adar II 5784