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With the spread of the coronavirus in full swing, locals of Sanders County are working together to provide for those in need. Because of the situation, medical staff at Clark Fork Valley Hospital require more medical masks than ever before. Because of the strain on the nationwide supply, they are looking for other options to mend their waning supply. Enter: The Sanders County Mask Makers. A couple weeks ago the hospital's chief nursing officer, Lisa Eberhardt posted on Facebook after hearing about people making masks at home. She mentioned in her post that it would be nice if someone wanted to take charge of something like that on a larger scale, locally. Nanette Blake, a woman whose daughter is a nurse, stepped up to the plate. She started a Facebook group called "Sanders County Mask Makers" in order to create a common platform for everyone to use, as before there were several groups. She herself had created nearly three dozen on her own.

The group coordinates around 20-25 seamstresses across the county, all working together to provide more masks for the hospital and surrounding community. So far, they have made nearly 450 masks to assist with the effort. "It reminded me of how in World War II groups got together to help the war effort," said Blake. Eberhardt also related the situation to WWII, saying, "We call them our victory sewers, like the WWII victory gardens."

The group has worked together with Mathew Cooper, a local upholsterer who designed the masks and created the first prototypes. The group now uses guidelines set by Cooper and the hospital staff in order to produce standardized masks.

The masks are being utilized for patients who enter the hospital, while another initiative is working to provide reusable masks that will require filters for the staff. These filters are now being asked from the sewists working with the Sanders County Mask Makers. The group is also producing isolation gowns which are in short supply as well; they have produced over 120 of these so far.

Blake said, "We just moved here last July, and the area reminds us how we grew up, in a farming community, and how the people just come out and help." When the virus dies down the hospital is planning to throw a large get together in honor of the sewers to bring them all together to meet.