The “Porch Ladies” Sew Over 1000 Masks

Publication Info: Coronado Eagle & Journal

Publication Date: August 14, 2020

Their names are Sheri Morgan, Cathy McJannet, Jan Kass and Katy Green, but you may know them as the “Porch Ladies.” This group of retired and active nurses sit out on their porch every Saturday. They sew masks, and so far they’ve made over 1200 of them. They donate and give out these masks free of charge in order to do their part in combating the spread of COVID-19.

These ladies all met working as nurses at what is now known as Sharp Coronado Hospital. Green, Kass, and McJannet have been working together for over 30 years, and Morgan just over 15. After she retired, Green put her sewing hobby to use making quilts to donate to patients at the hospital, making over 100 of them. When COVID-19 hit, she recognized the urgency and began to make masks instead.

Once Green began making masks, the other three women slowly joined her. “We just started showing up!” joked McJannet.

They all sit socially distanced on the porch with their masks on, they’ve made it into a fun experience for everyone. “We call it the porch party,” said Kass.

They chat and gossip amongst themselves, all while doing what they can to help their community. Green does most of the actual sewing, but the other ladies definitely do their part. After Green sews the base, the others help to flip them inside out, and create the ties that go into them. They make their ties out of old t-shirts so as to not waste any material.

Their ultimate goal is to help Coronado mask up, so they spend a lot of time donating the masks to various places around town. Green occasionally hands them out at the library, or the fire department. They all distribute them around their own neighborhoods as well. They’ve also donated a few hundred to the staff at Sharp Coronado Hospital.

McJannet said, “As frontline workers we have to wear medical-grade masks in the hospital, but outside of work we really prefer to wear cutesy, fun masks.”

Additionally, some of the ladies have sent them to other places around the country, and even the world. Morgan sent some to her family’s church in Virginia. Their masks have also been sent to Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. While they have an international reach, they enjoy simply handing them out to people walking past the porch.

“We ask if they would like a mask, if they say no, it’s okay, but most people do come up the steps and say ‘Really? You’re giving them away?’” said Morgan.

Despite the fact that the Porch Ladies give all of these masks away free of charge, people love to reward them anyway. They’ve been gifted flowers, fresh berries, and meals. In fact, last week they had donations for breakfast almost every day of the week. The gifts they receive truly reflect the way their community feels about their efforts.

“I think that people see that you’re giving, and they want to give too. Not that they want to pay for it, I think it’s just the spirit of giving,” said McJannet.

From a medical perspective as nurses, McJannet said that COVID-19 has been the worst thing she’s seen illness-wise in her entire career. She’s worked in the emergency room for over 30 years, and was in the military for 10. She’s seen HIV, Ebola, SARS, and many other widespread breakouts. “The difference I think is that this is so contagious, I’ve never been in a situation like this with an illness where we haven’t been able to contain it,” she said.

She attributes this to the fact that with this virus, we’re depending on people to follow the health guidelines, which doesn’t always happen. They all emphasized the importance that masks play in slowing the spread of this virus. “I would guess there’s 150 years of nursing on this porch, and we’re all saying wear a mask, wash your hands, stay socially distanced, it’s not political,” said McJannet.

These four nurses plan to continue to have their “porch parties” and sew masks as long as the need is there. “The hospitals can’t do this by themselves,” said Kass. “They need people who can help.”

McJannet expressed that they all just want people to be healthy, they are all motivated by their common goal to help people be safe in a kind and loving way. The Porch Ladies will continue to do their part during this pandemic, one mask at a time.