Sewing masks, saving lives

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/06/2020 (2035 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Louise Kuebler used to work in a fabric shop. She spends her days in her small sewing room, making scarves and mitts for friends and family. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Winnipeg, she wanted to protect her family from the virus, but didn’t know where to find face masks.

She started sewing masks for her family, not sure if they would even use them.

Now, she’s sewing for a good cause, collecting donations for charities in Winnipeg.

Kuebler has raised over $1,500 for charities in Winnipeg. Residents donate a minimum of $5 to get a mask from her. She’s sold about 500 masks so far, featuring many colours and patterns. The $1,500 will be handled by her senior complex’s social committee, who will donate to charities like Winnipeg Harvest.

Kuebler is working with another resident named Rex Virtue, who helps distribute the masks. She said she’s grateful for his help.

“I thought ‘ok, I’ll sew a few masks for my friends and family.’ After I sent those off, I thought ‘oh, there’s some people in my building who could use masks,’ so I made some for them,” Kuebler said. “I was just going to put a box of them (in the lobby) for everyone to use. (Virtue) heard about it and got in touch. He’s handling the donation side of things, thanks to him I get to just sit in my sewing room and make masks.”

Kuebler said although they’re asking for a minimum of $5, many residents have given them much more. Kuebler started sewing masks at the beginning of April. The pair started collecting donations around April 24.

The masks started as a fundraiser for their social committee, but now that they’ve reached $1,500, Kuebler plans to split the donations between the committee and the ALS Society of Manitoba. Kuebler’s husband passed away six years ago, a victim of the degenerative disease.
Kuebler said she’s happy she can help people in her own way.

“In these tough times, looking at what other people have to put up with, I’m happy I can help in some way. This is a good little thing I could do to help the general welfare of everyone,” Kuebler said. “I can’t go out and cure (COVID-19) or anything but this is a small way I can help. It’s good to be able to do something.”

Kuebler said she plans to continue sewing masks for donations for as long as needed. She stressed that she’s not taking any of the funds —100 per cent of the money goes to either the social committee or a charity of her choice.

For more information, or to purchase a mask, call Rex Virtue at 204-832-5100.