September 18, 2020 by Carol Britton Meyer
As a way of continuing to give back to the community, HinghamLink this morning provided 100 face masks to Lincoln Apartments residents, who were happy and grateful to receive them.
"The bottom line is that we want people to be healthy," Dan Power, one of the founders of the group, told the Hingham Anchor.
HinghamLink is a volunteer service connecting people who want to help with people who need various kinds of assistance. "HinghamLink is the glue that ties them together," Power said.
A member of the Lincoln Apartments board, a representative from HinghamLink, and a member of the Corcoran Management Company -- which manages the building -- were present when the face masks were handed out to the appreciative residents.
The Hingham Affordable Housing Trust monitors Corcoran's performance. There is also a board of directors.
Board member Amy Farrell made the initial suggestion that HinghamLink provide a mask to each resident.
It took some time for volunteers to make such a large number of face coverings for one group of residents. The largest order filled before that was 20 face coverings for a retail store, to hand out to customers.
That said, "We were happy to do it," Power stated.
HinghamLink volunteers have so far made more than 600 face masks for senior citizens and those with disabilities and health issues, free of charge -- and for families and others in need of face coverings, for the small fee of $5 to cover the cost of the materials -- during the past six months since the start of the pandemic.
"The Lincoln Apartments board recognized the need and is paying for the masks, so they were offered at no cost to the residents," Power explained. "The best way to stay healthy in addition to hand-washing is to wear a face mask and to social distance."
The funds raised help pay for the fabric and elastic to make more face coverings, including those that are offered free of charge. The effort is coordinated by Suzanne Kay, who Power said "has driven the whole project." About 20 volunteers are involved with the face mask-making effort -- sewing, picking up the materials, and delivering the masks.
Power enjoys seeing HinghamLink face masks being worn around town by some members of the community. "I recognize them because of the style we use. I have a few of them myself. It's nice to see people wearing them and not just putting them in their pocket or on their car's dashboard."
Besides providing face masks, HinghamLink helps those in need with trash collection, grocery shopping, and other services.
For more information, to order a face mask, or to volunteer to make face masks or to help in another way, visit https://www.hinghamlink.com/.