CLEVELAND, Ohio — The entire world is invited to take part in a "sew-a-thon" to make millions of masks for workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.
Sew It Online, a family-owned sewing and craft shop in Ohio, started the "Million Mask Challenge" after University Hospital in Cleveland reached out to them for help in early March.
What started as an effort to help one hospital started a global movement.
The shop worked with medical professionals to come up with a design for medically approved masks and shared an instructional video, which got hundreds of thousands of views.
"On the heels of the CDC recommendation that the public wear a mask when in public, this couldn’t have came at a better time," Sew It Online said.
"The response for the challenge has been overwhelming and tens of thousands of people have already joined in. Sew It Online continues making masks and coordinating shipments from all over the world to places in need."
To participate, watch the instructional video on how to make masks, download the sewing pattern and start sewing. After you're done, donate the masks and post a photo on social media with the hashtag #millionmaskchallenge.
Go to Sew It Online's website for more information.
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