Two University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law students launched a project to sew and send face masks to people in need—and have now produced 420 free masks—because of their concern that others were profiting from the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the critical need for personal protective equipment.
Third-year UH law school students Lauren Hauck and Katie Smith sewed and sent 85 masks to the women’s shelter at the Institute for Human Services (IHS). Another 60 went to the Waikiki Health Center for triage nurses helping incoming patients on the front lines.
Hauck and Smith produced masks for more than 50 fellow law students and their families; dozens for students all across the UH Mānoa campus; another 35 for Hauck’s mom, who is a Los Angeles police officer, and for the officers in her department; and even more for family and friends who still needed them.
“We made 70 the first weekend,” said Hauck, who operated her roommate’s sewing machine while Smith did the designing and cutting when they first started in early April.
“We wanted to make them available for people who needed them and couldn’t afford to order a $20 mask online,” said Smith. “And we’ve been lucky enough to have generous donations from students and faculty and family and friends.”
So far the costs have totaled about $600, including postage.
This coming weekend they have orders for another 20 or so from students and other people who have heard about Hauck and Smith’s project.
Continue reading on the UH law school’s website.
–By Beverly Creamer
