The Volunteers of the Iowa Mask Brigade
Madam Speaker, as millions of individuals, families, and essential workers struggle to obtain the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) required to keep them safe during these difficult times, volunteer organizations like the Iowa Mask Brigade have stepped up to provide these critical items to keep our citizens and communities safe. That is why today, I rise to ask the House of Representatives to join me in recognizing the Iowa Mask Brigade as this week’s Iowan of the Week.
The Iowa Mask Brigade was founded earlier this year by Connie Klug after she received a distressed call from her niece, an emergency room doctor in desperate need of PPE. Connie immediately got to work researching protective masks and found that filters were the most important feature that made them effective. Although commercial face mask filters were not available, Connie used her problem-solving skills to create her own. She began cutting furnace filters from the company 3M, the same company that produces the coveted N95 masks. Sandwiching this filter in between two layers of high-quality cotton fabric, Connie produced her first mask in a process the New York Times would later consider the best method of making homemade masks. Connie, a quilter, enlisted the help of two of her seamstress friends, who enlisted the help of their friends, and an organization instantly formed as volunteers coalesced around one simple idea: to provide masks to those who need them.
In their first month of operation, the Iowa Mask Brigade used over 75 furnace filters. Today, the Iowa Mask Brigade consists of 35 volunteers who have collectively produced almost 8,000 masks since its inception in March.
One of those volunteers is Ray Getting, who handles much of the logistics within the Brigade. In a recent conversation, he mentioned everyone who has received a mask is so incredibly appreciative. The group maintains extremely high standards for quality, and if a mask wasn’t perfect, it wasn’t sent out. He’s been able to send high quality masks to people he cares about in places he knows it’s going to make a difference.
As the organization has grown, their mask-making has become more innovative. When the Brigade ran out of elastic bands for ear loops, they turned to hairbands. Today, they have purchased over 25,000 hairbands for their masks, and they have shared this technique, as well as many others they have developed, with other mask-making organizations.
The Iowa Mask Brigade has sent masks to people in need all over the United States. From the Iowa’s Dallas County Hospital to San Antonio to the Navajo Nation in Arizona, for whom they have created a custom design to fit their preferences. Now, the Brigade mostly serves low income housing, hospitals, and nursing homes, such as the APEHA senior living apartments in Johnston, Iowa.
In honoring the Iowa Mask Brigade today, I want to underscore the values of hard work, dedication, persistence, and problem-solving that Iowans demonstrate in spades during this difficult time. As Connie Klug said, “A unique characteristic of Iowans is that we don’t get defeated easily. We just went to work and overcame it. That to me is Iowans: we don’t get discouraged; we just get to work. We’re not helpless. We rolled up our sleeves and said, there are not problems that we can’t figure out.”
I am so proud to recognize the Iowa Mask Brigade for their outstanding work and their unwavering willingness to help all those in need. It is my hope that other individuals and organizations are inspired to take action of their own. The volunteers powering the Iowa Mask Brigade have not only given protective gear to people in need, but also instilled hope when we need it most. It is my honor to share the Iowa Mask Brigade’s story and recognize the group as our Iowan of the Week.