Aylmer group steps up

Sewing medical caps for frontline healthcare workers 

Over the last week, scores of Aylmer residents have teamed up to help frontline healthcare workers fight COVID-19 by sewing and distributing surgical caps to nurses in the region.

Launched by Aylmerite Sophie Audet on April 2, the initiative has involved around 30 participants so far. Having collectively manufactured and distributed almost 120 caps to two medical facilities in the national capital region – Montfort Hospital in Ottawa and the MÉDIGO Clinic in Hull – Audet said that the community’s response has been overwhelming.

Calling it a true community effort, Audet explained that the Aylmer Legion’s Vice-President Manon Grégoire-Fleury played a key role in its early success by promoting it on social media and drawing numerous people to join in. “She took the idea and shared it among Legion women who are at home,” Audet said.

As a nurse at Montfort Hospital, Audet said she came up with the idea when she noticed a great need for surgical caps among nurses but none for them to use. Respecting recommended social distancing and hygienic measures, Audet said that participants are told to place their caps in plastic bags outside their homes at specific pick-up times. “They call me, I pick them up everywhere,” Audet said. “They just leave them on the porch.” She also does one pick-up per week at the Legion office on Wednesday afternoons.

So far, the only problem for some participants is running out fabric. So, some have gotten creative with materials and designs to make up for a lack of cotton, Audet said. “There are no fabric stores open … so, they’re using curtains and table cloths to make caps for the nurses,” Audet said. “Some have flowers, some are plaid,” she added. “We had somebody make Star Wars hats and those were a big hit.”

 

Initially not expecting to receive so much support, Audet was grateful knowing that there are plenty of people in the community who are more than willing to offer a helping hand. “I thank all these women from the Legion, from Aylmer. This is just great, how everybody’s making caps,” Audet said. “It’s just amazing. This is a beautiful thing that’s happening in Aylmer.”

“Everyone wants to feel like they’re doing something to help,” she added. For Grégoire-Fleury, sharing the event with members of the Legion and the community at large was a no-brainer, noting that people are eager to make positive contributions during the crisis. “I think people want to help so it gives them a sense that they’re contributing to the fight against COVID-19,” she said. “And it doesn’t cost anything.”

While getting as many people as possible involved was the focus, Grégoire-Fleury emphasized that the most important part of the initiative is that no one involved contributes to the propagation of the coronavirus. “When people offer to join, the first thing I ask them is ‘Do you have COVID-19 symptoms? Do you feel well? Is a member of your family sick?’” Grégoire-Fleury said. “If yes, I don’t want them to sew for us at all. That’s number one.”

Knowing the pandemic is far from over, Grégoire-Fleury said that the Legion may look into fabricated face masks for healthcare workers depending on how the situation evolves and what needs arise.