Volunteers within the Georgia Tech community have teamed up to sew cloth face coverings for Institute employees still performing essential duties on campus. These employees include a limited number of faculty and staff, such as Facilities Management custodian and landscape staff , Georgia Tech Police Department officers, Housing staff, and faculty and graduate student researchers, who continue to protect campus and find much-needed solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic.

To help these employees, volunteers with the “Heroes Helping Heroes” Face Covering Initiative are fabricating cloth face coverings and do-it-yourself (DIY) sewing kits to be donated to any interested on-campus staff member by request. The first batch of face coverings and DIY sewing kits were delivered for distribution on April 14.

“I am continually inspired by the Georgia Tech family’s ability to create and innovate, as well as our deep appreciation for each other,” said JulieAnne Williamson, assistant vice president for Administration and Finance. “A team of leaders, sewers, and experts came together from across the Institute and got this initiative ready in just four days. From those who make the face coverings to those who need them as they work on campus, Georgia Tech’s caring spirit shines through.”

While the cloth face coverings are neither surgical masks nor substitutes for medical-grade personal protective equipment, they can still be helpful in reducing the diffusion of respiratory droplets in situations where social distancing cannot be maintained in the optimal manner. For more information about the effectiveness of cloth face coverings, consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s cloth face covering guidelines and frequently asked questions.

If you are interested in supporting Heroes Helping Heroes, fill out the Volunteer Survey. Volunteers may donate their finished products at a no-touch drop-off location at Georgia Tech’s Environmental Health and Safety department.

If you’re an on-campus employee and would like a cloth face covering, please visit Heroes Helping Heroes for instructions on how to request one.

For more information about creating, donating, requesting, wearing, or cleaning cloth face coverings, visit Heroes Helping Heroes.

If you have questions about Heroes Helping Heroes, contact JulieAnne Williamson at julieanne@gatech.edu.

Read more about how Georgia Tech is joining the battle against COVID-19 with our expertise, innovation, and indomitable spirit: https://c.gatech.edu/COVID19Help