MOSES LAKE — Big Bend Community College Phi Theta Kappa members have decided to spend their Spring Break making protective face masks for local healthcare workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 outbreak.
Students organized the service project after hearing Samaritan Healthcare was seeking donations of protective gear, such as face masks and gowns, for their staff. Many hospitals and clinics across the country are also facing a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), and have begun making similar requests in their own communities.
PTK advisor Octaviano Gutierrez said club members were happy to answer Samaritan’s call.
“We were wanting to do something for the community that we could do from home, without needing to gather in a large group, and then over the weekend we read that non-medical grade masks were being advised,” said Gutierrez. “One of the PTK officers and I started checking out some tutorial videos, and then we found out that Samaritan was actively seeking donations of these masks.”
Gutierrez said club members are also inviting others to join them in making face masks.
“If you are interested, willing, and able to make these or to donate supplies to help make them, please do so. It gives you something distracting to do, and it helps people, so it is a win-win,” said Gutierrez. “Both the public and the hospitals are in need of protective face masks to help stop the spread of COVID-19.”
The club is following Samaritan’s guidelines and tutorials on making protective gear, which can be found on the Samaritan Healthcare website!
For more information, or to donate supplies for face masks, email octavianog@bigbend.edu.
About PTK: Phi Theta Kappa was established in 1918 and aims to celebrate the academic achievement of college students and provide them with opportunities to grow as scholars and leaders. The organization is recognized as the official honor society for two-year colleges.
The Rho Zeta Chapter has been active on the Big Bend campus for more than 50 years. Each academic year, club members use service projects to help campus and community organizations, such as the Viking Food Pantry, New Hope and Samaritan Healthcare.