Within just 10 days, members of Delta Hospital Auxiliary Society and their friends produced 564 washable laundry bags in response to a request from hospital executive director Teresa O’Callaghan.
It did not take long for the director’s coronavirus-related appeal to jump-start sewing machines in the homes of Ladner, Tsawwassen and North Delta volunteers once Auxiliary past-president Yvonne Chard and communication unit co-ordinator Youla Thomas sounded the alert. Sewers known to both women were enlisted to augment Auxiliary members, while a few others from the well-established Pillow Pals team moved temporarily from comfort pillows to this new cause.
Together, 12 Auxiliary volunteers and 12 friends and neighbours set about repurposing bed sheets, pillow cases and other fabric into drawstring laundry bags. These reusable cloth bags will enable hospital staff to safely transport their work-wear to and from home and in order to launder their personal protective garments (intact) and reduce the volume of disposable plastic bags currently being used for this purpose.
While the Auxiliary members did the bulk of the sewing – one prolific stitcher made 72 bags – it was an all-round team effort. Jean Evans sorted through fabric and other supplies at the thrift store, Thomas distributed the material and collected the finished articles, and Cathy Bailey delivered the hand-crafted laundry bags to Delta Hospital.
This new way of helping hospital workers is another example of new thinking in a new reality.
