The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Comedian’s sewing ‘squad’ makes more than 60K masks
‘In Asian communities, “auntie” is a term of endearment and trust. An auntie is someone who helps you feel loved and cared for.’ Comedian Kristina Wong Creator of the Auntie Sewing Squad
Los Angeles comedian Kristina Wong was planning to take her new one-woman show on tour in the spring when it was suddenly canceled because of the swiftly spreading coronavirus.
“I thought, ‘OK, this is just going to be a two-week gap,’ “said Wong, 42.
Wanting to put her time to good use, she reached out to the homeless population in her community and donated tents and air mattresses, and also paid to have two washing stations installed so people could keep their hands clean.
Then a friend showed her a news story in March about Los Angeles-area hospitals pleading for face masks. Wong knew it was time to pull out her Hello Kitty sewing machine and leftover fabric scraps.
She posted an offer on Facebook to make a mask for anyone who was immunocompromised or was unable to buy one. She found herself swamped with hundreds of requests from front-line workers and people who were considered high-risk.
Realizing she couldn’t handle the job alone, “I put out a call to my Facebook friends for help,” she said.
Initially, 26 people signed up, but as the demand for masks grew, so did the number of volunteers. Wong decided to call her sewing group the Auntie Sewing Squad, after a friend told her, “There are squads of aunties being deployed right now.”
“In Asian communities, ‘auntie’ is a term of endearment and trust,” Wong said. “An auntie is someone who helps you feel loved and cared for.”
Nearly four months later, Wong and more than 300 “aunties” are still making masks, with a focus on helping vulnerable communities such as migrant workers, day laborers, people being released from prison and Native Americans who live in isolated areas.
More than 60,000 masks have now been donated, she said, with plans to keep stitching for as long as they’re needed. Although Wong initially requested $5 to cover postage for each mask, hundreds of people who can’t sew now chip in to pay for postage or buy fabric.
Our goal is to reach all communities who aren’t getting support with masks from other groups,” she added. “We’re the least likely kind of soldiers. But we can sew. We have a gift that can help save lives.”