In anticipation of the “Stay at Home” order which takes effect tonight at 11:59, I popped over to our local crafting store, JoAnn’s Fabrics, this morning. I have a couple projects I’m working on (which I’ll reveal here sometime this week, hopefully) and I needed some supplies. JoAnn’s is a national chain that just happens to have its headquarters, and a large flagship store, in the town where I live.
As I was roaming the aisles, maintaining a 6-foot bubble of protection around me, I heard a couple of women talking to one of the employees about a project they each happened to be working on. When the employee mentioned, “This much fabric should be enough to make 30 masks,” it dawned on me. The customers were preparing to sew surgical masks to help local hospitals.
I knew about this movement, started in response to the dangerously low supplies of personal protective equipment in many of this country’s major hospitals. Volunteers across the country are sewing masks, sharing patterns, and posting tutorials on YouTube. On JoAnn Fabric’s website there is a page dedicated to supporting this volunteer effort.
Even though I knew this sort of thing was going on, actually seeing people buying the fabric for their face mask projects choked me up. Seeing the goodness of these people and their eagerness to help during this scary time just made me feel like the Grinch when his heart grows three sizes.
Which brings us to my next stop this morning – Open Door Coffee. We’ve been buying carryout coffee at Open Door ever since governor DeWine’s order that closed all Ohio bars and restaurants to in-house customers (which seems like ages ago but was only 8 days ago), in an effort to help support our favorite local business. Deborah (the owner) and her crew of exceptional young people have been so good to us over the years. As I approached the front door, I saw the sign below and my heart sunk:
Inside, I asked a solemn-looking Deborah what was going on. I knew that under the provisions of the Stay at Home order Open Door could continue operating for take out. Deborah said that even though she could technically stay open for the duration of the order, she didn’t feel that she could adequately protect her employees. She said, “It’s a decision that makes my stomach hurt, but I know it’s the right thing to do.” Sigh.
When I left my house this morning for these two errands, I had no idea what was in store for me – compelling evidence that although there still may be people hoarding and fights over toilet paper in grocery stores, there are many more people out there quietly doing the best that they can.
Be safe out there, friends. xoxo