The Mask Brigade: Pat, Martha and Joyce

​



​Taking care of one another in good times and in challenging times is what cohousing is all about. Enter Pat with an offer to make a covid mask for everyone in cohousing who requests one. Wait, did I read that Slack correctly? Everyone? Yes. With a promise to hang the finished products on members’ doorknobs or send them across the country for our members who have yet to move here. In Pat’s first foray, she completed 35 masks out of 65 orders (then asked for a little downtime for her hands before sewing the rest). Enter Martha, who picked up all the masks destined for our out-of-town members and mailed them. Enter Joyce, who picked up many of the local masks to mail or deliver. Enter Martha again who helped to cut more fabric for the remaining orders and Joyce, who volunteered to help Pat sew them. Some members also made their own masks and a few for others—thank you Cindy, Gale and Nancy. 

Pat ended her offer to the community this way: “Please post a picture of you wearing your mask on a Covid slack channel and on social media to encourage others to wear masks. That’s the only payment I want. Please don’t send me any money for materials or postage as this is my gift to our community.”

Contemplating Pat’s offer to the community, and the way others quickly stepped into help, should give us all the warm fuzzies of gratitude. I think for many of us who’ve not lived in community before, we can anticipate many, many wonderful and heartfelt gestures like the mask brigade provided. 

---