The Carolina Mask Project
The Carolina Mask Project aims to help match mask makers & requests in the Carolinas. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) alternatives are only made to supplement existing stocks of PPE. Cloth masks offer a mechanical barrier to stop users from exposing their t-zone in vulnerable situations. These and other PPE alternatives can be worn by Healthcare Personnel (HCP) to extend the life of their medical-grade equipment or help protect them while doing administrative duties. While handcrafted masks are based on CDC & WHO recommendations, they are not recommended to prevent the spread of disease.
On March 21, 2020, the #CarolinaMaskMakers group on Facebook was created. Then the website was created to help centralize and organize information regarding the creation of PPE alternatives and sharing materials. By Monday, March 23, 2020, the website was available where volunteers could register and requests could be made by HCP. This allowed coordination to take place on a localized basis as well as protected the group members from sharing personal information on Facebook which could compromise their accounts. The request form and volunteer survey allow the project to match requests with makers. Teams are created to address the needs of the recipient. In addition to the cloth masks, 3D printing options for face shields and sewn head or foot coverings will be available upon request. 
We are creating this fundraiser to help create a mutual aid fund for the makers. This fund will provide assistance with shipping items, materials and supplies, as well as any tech fees that the project may incur. The platform is free for organizers. The transaction fee is 2.9% plus $0.30 per donation. If the goal is met, we may increase the amount and any leftover funds will be donated to a local charitable organization of the organizers' discretion. Organizers Garland West and Dee Dee Davis will be working to help distribute funds and materials wherever possible for volunteers. Garland is the lead coordinator and webmistress for the project. Dee Dee is working to provide materials from her business, Decor Print , for the mask makers to use. For more information or to register as a volunteer, please visit carolinamasks.com and thank you for your support.
This project is not a nonprofit entity and has no corporate structure, and no donations are tax-deductible, but exists solely of volunteers who see the need to unite those who need things to supplement PPE and those with the ability to produce them. Additionally, due to the informal & decentralized nature of this project, lack of available materials and lack of guidance no one associated with The Carolina Mask Project (the site, the volunteers, makers, etc.) is responsible for or make any guarantee on the masks, the patterns/materials used, their quality, their efficacy, or their delivery, nor are we responsible for any injuries, illness, sickness or death resulting from over-reliance or misuse.