By Dan Murphy
Two local Westchester organizations have partnered together to make a difference for the health of their neighbors and county residents. Neighbors for Refugees (NFR) has partnered with Masks for NY, an organization that is working with local volunteers to provide and distribute masks to health workers at hospitals and medical centers in the Tri-state area.
Neighbors for Refugees (NFR) is sponsoring seven refugees (six are here on Special Immigrant Visas), from Syria and Afghanistan, to make protective masks. Several are professional seamstresses. NFR transports all materials and masks back and forth, coordinates all communication with the refugees, and has raised money to pay them for their work via fundraising and grants.
Some of the local facilities that have received masks made by the refugees and the Masks for NY volunteers include The Osborn, White Plains Hospital Emergency Room, Montefiore New Rochelle, Greenwich Hospital and The New Jewish Home, Sarah Neuman Westchester.
The list of medical institutions is very long, and the refugees have made over 2,000 masks to date. The entire Masks for NY has made a total of 10,000 masks. They are also going to homeless shelters, nursing homes and homes for disabled persons.
One of the sewists came to America as an SIV through HIAS, a Jewish American nonprofit organization that provides humanitarian aid and assistance to refugees. Back home, her husband worked in the military; now, he is on the frontlines helping people with COVID-19 at White Plains Hospital, and she is making masks for health workers.
Another one is a professional seamstress who was working at NORDSTROM before the virus hit and is happy to be making masks for those who need them most. Several of the sewists are new arrivals to our country and are still integrating into society.
“Neighbors for Refugees is proud of being able to help refugees through this meaningful work, especially during the past 40 days since COVID-19 changed the world. The fact that the refugees are doing something to save lives while receiving an opportunity to use their
skills and experience is pretty amazing,” said Frank Pierson, President of NFR.
NFR began In November 2016 when eight women gathered around a kitchen table in Larchmont, New York. They came from different faith traditions, different national origins, including women from Syria and Lebanon and a mix of backgrounds and experiences. They had one focus: to find a way to begin welcoming refugee families to our communities. Within two months, their group grew to over 200 volunteers, and they were approved by two resettlement agencies to begin welcoming refugees.
In early March of 2017, their first refugee arrived – a young man from Pakistan. To date they have welcomed three families to our community, and they have supported several families outside of Westchester. Visit neighborsforrefugees.org for information on how to get involved with the organization.
Masks for NY began after founder Lisa Boillot saw a post that read, “Hospitals desperately need masks.” A reaction came quickly from dozens of local volunteers who said, “We can sew; let’s do this!” By the next morning, 60 responders wanted to help – that same afternoon, it was 150. Some could sew, some had machines but could not, some could cut or snip elastic, some could drive the masks to the hospitals.
Within a month, Masks for NY has distributed more than 10,000 masks directly to a growing list of hospitals and care centers, including many Westchester locations. Now they have 250 volunteers who are working on cutting, snipping, sewing and driving for the good of the community.
Masks for NY needs your help, which you can give in three different ways: Donate materials, time, or funds. If you have fabric or elastic, you can drop off or have it picked up at one of the hubs listed on the web site.
You can also volunteer your time to cut, sew, or drive. Materials can be provided to you and dropped off to you. Or you can donate funds to both Neighbors for Refugees and Masks for NY for their various initiatives by donating at NFR’s website.
Thanks to both of these organizations for showing us how to ‘Pay it Forward.” Visit neighborsforrefugees.org, and masksforny.org to learn more.
