FAQ   JUMP TO: Makers | Recipients | General

Makers:

I signed up to make masks, but never received an email
	Of course you already know to check your spam folder. Use the search term "Drive For Masks" (in quotes!) and you should find it. If you don't find it, contact us and we can help.

I got an email but now I can't find it
	Use the search term "Drive For Masks" (in quotes!) and you should find it. If you don't find it, contact us and we can help.

Who am I making masks for?

Anyone who needs masks can request masks through our site. Our algorithm matches you at random with a recipient, though priority is given to elderly & immunocompromised recipients. This may be front-line medical workers, but we made this site specifically in order to fill a gap in the need among some other groups: people who need masks in smaller quantities who aren't in healthcare, but work in grocery stores or making deliveries, and smaller NPOs, such as those that work with people experiencing homelessness and poverty. Most of the initial demand for masks came from hospitals and those doing front-line work, but we wanted to make sure other vulnerable people (and those who serve them) were able to get masks.

I signed up to make masks, but now I can't complete them
	Go to your email and search for "Drive For Masks" (in quotes!) and open the "Time to Sew!" email. In it you will find a link to manage your mask assignment. You can reduce quantities, or cancel, as needed. We super appreciate you taking the time to do this, so recipients are not waiting around, thinking masks are on the way! This way, we can immediately reassign those masks to a new maker.

How will I package up the masks?

We are recommending DIY packaging, made from brown paper bags or butcher paper. If you have these materials sitting around, it adds nothing to the cost and is the lightest-weight option which keeps shipping costs low. It's of course also eco-friendly to reuse what you have on hand. We provide dimensions for the size of paper you need to cut out to package the number of masks you have to ship. Find all details about shipping in the shipping section (also accessible from the page-top menu).

Do I have to pay for shipping?

Yes. Though we are suggesting that makers (at their discretion) include a self-addressed, stamped envelope with the package so the recipient can include a note and optional donation to help offset the cost of shipping and materials. And in case you're wondering... we kicked around all kinds of ideas at the beginning, like collecting donations and keeping a pool of money that funds the shipping, and all of it was complicated, and none of it would have been guaranteed to work (what if we ran out of funds because demand at our site was very high?)... Our goal was to get the site created and ready to help get masks to people as soon as possible. We are just two women, one with a full-time job, both of us with a young child in our care, and not a lot of free time. It just wasn't a level of complexity we could shoulder. We're coders, but we're not in the e-commerce business, and ultimately we prefer the idea of a site that has no monetary transactions whatsoever: coded by volunteers, and powered by the volunteers who make the masks—that seemed right to us. See the postage section of the shipping page for more details.

How can I know the person requesting masks really needs them?

There's no way to completely foolproof a system that runs on generosity and volunteers. We can do our best, and hope that good will prevail. But we've put in as many checks and validation processes as we could think of to ensure that you are not making masks for someone to turn around and sell them. Recipients can only sign up for 10 masks without requiring phone validation. Since this is human-based validation, we are not relying on a computer to guess, we are using real human interaction to ferret out any would-be scammers. There are lots of other checks and validations going on behind the scenes as well, for requests of quantities both big and small.

I have a pattern I like better. Can I use it instead?

When recipients come to the site to request masks, they can choose one of three options. Since they are requesting a specific type, it is only fair that they receive what they expect and have requested, after viewing this site's info on the mask types. That said, we know that some of you are makers of extraordinary skill and may have little touches you want to add in how you finish the edges, the ties, or things that you know can only be considered "going above and beyond"—please don't feel that you can't do this. Just use your judgment and think about it from the perspective of the person who placed the request: as long as your modifications will not cause the recipient to say, "hey, this isn't what I requested!", please bring your wonderful skills to the table on this project! The pattern we provide is intended to be suitable for people at any skill level to succeed at quickly making high-quality masks with a good seal around the face.

Recipients:

I requested masks and saw a confirmation screen but then never received an email
	Of course you already know to check your spam folder. Use the search term "Drive For Masks" (in quotes!) and you should find it. If you don't find it, contact us and we can help.

I got an email but now I can't find it
	Use the search term "Drive For Masks" (in quotes!) and you should find it. If you don't find it, contact us and we can help.

Who is making the masks?
	There are tens of thousands (if not more!) makers all over the country who are sitting down at sewing machines daily to make masks for those who need them. When one of these makers signs up on the site, they are randomy matched with the recipients who have signed up.

How did you decide on the type of mask?

We did tons of research and digging, consulted medical professionals, and lots of makers. We have experimented firsthand with many mask types, and many just didn't provide a good seal, letting in entirely too much air around the sides of the mask, or having an awkward fit (or needed to be sized very specifically to the wearer). This mask pattern was chosen because it has the following characteristics: (1) it is close-fitting on a variety of face sizes with minimum air leakage; (2) it is not as prone to slipping and falling down (less temptation to touch your face!); (3) it is suitable as a cover for a disposable N95 mask (prolonging the life of said mask); (4) you can insert a filter or other fabric (or whatever you see fit) to improve filtration efficacy; (5) it holds up well to laundering

General:

How does this site work?

This site matches mask makers with those who need masks. Makers sign up (using this form) for a sewing assignment of up to 20 masks. Those who need masks (aka "recipients") sign up (using this form) for the quantity of masks they need. The site automatically matches makers and recipients at random, with priority given to immunosuppressed children and the elderly. When a maker is "assigned" to make masks, they will receive an email with the details of their "assignment": the mailing labels for up to 5 recipients and the requested quantities. They'll sew the masks and mail them from their home mailbox. The recipient will receive a self-addressed, stamped envelope to the maker, so they can share a quick note of thanks. The maker comes back to the site for as many assignments as they like. Recipients can request up to 10 masks for themselves. If they need more than 10 masks for their organization, they'll first need to be validated by phone.

Who is this site for?

This site is for everyone. Healthcare workers on the front lines are still experiencing shortages, but they're not the only ones who desperately need masks. There are countless unsung heroes who continue growing, picking, processing, preparing, stocking and delivering food & supplies. This keeps everyone else safe by making social distancing and telecommuting possible. And the many individuals who were already immunocompromised, elderly, or otherwise vulnerable when this began? They need breathing protection just to get groceries safely. This site aims to help get masks to all in need, whatever their story, because everyone deserves to be safe in this crisis.

Are you selling masks?
	No. This site connects volunteer mask makers with those who need masks. Makers ship masks directly to recipients. We do not receive or send anything. We earned no money and did this exclusively as a volunteer effort because we wanted to step up to help.

Are you making masks?
	No, we made this website to make it easy for makers to find recipients in need of masks.

Who made this website?
	We are two women engineers, both of us with a young child at home. We've had to really struggle to find time to work on this, but we made time because it felt important to find a way to contribute. You can read more about us here.

Are you earning money with this site?
	No. Neither of us is making any money. We volunteered our time to create this site because this was how we felt we could best contribute.

Why did you decide to make this site?

Initially I felt strongly called to help sew masks, but got lost in all the admin of trying to figure out how to get masks to those who needed them without leaving my house. There were lots of fb groups where endless discussions were going on about mask patterns, shipping, and so forth, and I would have spent more time doing admin than actually sewing. Additionally, I noticed that most mask donations were being organized in the form of lists of hospitals who were registering their need. I started thinking about the grocery store employees I'd seen without masks, the delivery drivers, the restaurant workers who had switched to delivering food. I started thinking about all the wonderful NPOs doing work around poverty and social justice. I thought about non-frontline health care workers, like dentists, chiropractors, and physical therapists. Smaller facilities and other essential workers had no way to publicize their need, and there was no site aggregating that information. So I decided I needed to make that site! I conceived of this site as a way to fill that gap, so that everyday people's requests could find makers, and so the process for makers would be streamlined and effortless: No admin. Just sewing.