A Norwin High School student’s community service project connects mask users with area crafters willing to make them.

Lydia Berger, who will be a senior, said she came up with the idea for the covid-19 mask initiative days after the governor’s stay-at-home order went into effect in March.

”I was feeling very frustrated by my inability to help,” Berger said.

With nursing homes becoming hot spots for covid-19 outbreaks, and many people in desperate need of masks and other protective equipment, Berger thought she could connect facilities with crafters who are sewing cloth masks at home to help with shortages.

Admitting she was not the one to sew the masks, “I can code, and I realized that I could put those skills to work to help connect the two,” Berger said.

Berger said she designed the website, then registered the domain name and launched the database. The database was designed by Amish Sethi, a Pine-Richland High School student she met through the Pittsburgh Dataworks COVID-19 Project. He worked on revising and adding features to the website, using his knowledge of coding, Berger said.

Crafters are able to search the database to find nearby nursing homes, their needs and information about how best to donate masks, Berger said.

She has four nursing homes in the database: Redstone Highlands in North Huntingdon, ARK Manor in Delmont and Ligonier Gardens Personal Care Home and Bethlen Home Skilled Nursing center in Ligonier Township.

“Even though we are entering the green phase, shortages of personal protective equipment are still a serious issue for nursing homes and other care facilities. So, even though the lockdown has eased, we still have to do whatever we can to assist those in need,” Berger said.

Berger said she has reached out to other care homes and is awaiting responses.

“Nursing homes, personal care facilities and long-term care facilities can reach out to me through the website to be added to the database, and crafters can search the database to find nearby nursing homes in need of masks, their mask specifications and information about how to donate the masks,” Berger said.

The website has links to information on mask-making and government health guidelines for the pandemic.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)