Plainfield South HS teacher making masks for health care facilities

Plainfield South High School Spanish teacher Mary Jones is making fabric masks for area health care facilities during the mandated school closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jones, who has worked in District 202 since 2001, made 20 fabric face masks with a free kit from Joann Fabrics.

Health care facilities across the country need these fabric masks because of a shortage fueled by the virus outbreak.

Jones, whose mom taught her to sew at when she was a child, returned the first 20 masks to Joann to be donated to local health care facilities.

The craft and fabric store wants to donate 100 million homemade masks across the country.

Jones is now working on masks for the Edward-Elmhurst Health, she said.

"I'm just going to work on masks until I run out of supplies," Jones said.

She is working on the masks in-between working on remote learning plans, she said. Sewing also is therapy for her, she said, and gives her something productive to do while cooped up at home.

Jones also has family members who are first responders or are in the medical field around the country, so she feels like she is helping them by making masks, she said.

"It's nice that I can do something that helps me pass the time and if it can help somebody else, even better," Jones said.

The PSHS community is proud of Jones' efforts, said Principal Bob Yanello.

"At a time like this it is so nice to see so many people who are pitching in to do their small part to help during the pandemic," he said.

"Thanks to people like Mary, going above and beyond, it makes an incredible difference."