NEW ORLEANS – From the New Orleans City Council:
Since launching SewDat on April 9, the City Council and partners, including the Mayor’s Office and New Orleans Health Department, have already coordinated and supplied over 7,000 cloth face coverings to non-medical, essential workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 crisis.Â
The newly-launched SewDat.com provides a centralized location for resources and donations for much-needed cloth face coverings to help support essential workers in grocery stores, restaurants, food pantries, meal distribution centers, transit, senior care facilities, and more. In addition, the website provides the public with the following services and information:
- Allows residents to purchase cloth face coverings, limiting competition for N95 and surgical masks, which are in high demand and short supply for healthcare professionals and other first responders in Louisiana;
- Provides instructions for those interested in sewing or creating a mask with accessible supplies around the house; and
- Includes a list of local businesses and individuals selling face coverings to the general public. If you or your organization would like to be added to the business directory, visit sewdat.com/add-provider.Â
District “C” Councilmember Kristin Gisleson Palmer’s office has worked tirelessly to facilitate the donated face cloth coverings to the non-profit organization, RicRack NOLA, which cleans and packages each one prior to distribution. Once they are packaged, essential workers have been instructed to pick up their free cloth face covering at food pantries at various locations organized by Councilmember Palmer.Â
While the success of SewDat has been overwhelming, the Council is still encouraging local businesses, organizations and residents to continue to donate to help provide face coverings to all those who need them. As of today (May 1), 7,086 total face coverings have been offered, and 8,117 requested.
