Mask-making effort has raised $14,000 for local nonprofit

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS/WVAH) — A labor of love has turned into a huge success for a Charleston nonprofit.

When the coronavirus pandemic began, and masks were becoming a needed accessory, Melissa Orders of Charleston had an idea -- she started making masks and giving them away.

She said she gave them to employees at her local Kroger, to workers at her kids' pediatrician office, anyone who needed one. Then, other people started asking her to make them masks, and offering to pay for them, but she didn't want to accept money.

Inspired by her sister, she had an idea to ask for a donation to Trinity's Table, in exchange for a mask. Trinity's Table is an organization close to her heart, she said her kids volunteer there every Sunday.

"I wanted something positive to focus on during the pandemic, something positive for my kids to do to help others and promote community service during a time when they can't go out and help people face-to-face," Orders said.

Trinity's Table is a program through the Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church on Charleston's East End. They feed people every Sunday evening a warm dinner, whoever needs a meal gets one.

On average, they serve 500 people every Sunday, but after the pandemic, they're expecting a spike.

Trinity's Table is closed right now because they didn't feel like they could safely feed people. Sara Busse, who runs Trinity's Table, said since they are closed, they donated all of the food they had on hand to other organizations in Charleston still working to feed the community.

When they do reopen their dining room, she said they were unsure how they were going to be able to buy food.

"We knew it was the right thing to do," Busse said on Facebook. "What we didn't know was how we would replace that food -- there would have to be some sort of fundraiser (or a miracle!) to be able to buy food when we reopen. But, as Trinity's Table's Lee Feinberg said, 'Give it away and it will come back tenfold even though likely in another form. We didn't hoard our food/possessions in anticipation of reopening but shared it...and out of the blue we have as much or more.'"

So far, the mask-making endeavor has raised more than $14,000.

Busse calls the mask-making by Orders a Herculean task. Orders, Busse, and another woman, Candace Corrigal, are doing all of the sewing.

Order says she has enlisted her four kids to help with cutting fabric. So far, she estimates they've made more than 1,000 masks. Their labor is donated, and all of the supplies, from elastic to fabric, are being donated from many people in the community, so all money raised goes directly to Trinity's Table.

Orders says someone even donated a designer Lilly Pulitzer dress, to be cut up and refashioned into masks, which brought in even bigger donations. She's even been rolling out themed West Virginia University and Marshall masks, thanks to a huge sports-themed fabric donation from Lesley McCallister.

For the custom masks, Orders has been asking for a $20 donation. Otherwise, you can make a $10 donation to Trinity's Table and then send them an email asking for a mask in a men's or women's print. You can also find more information on Facebook.