TSA Supervisor At BWI Airport Sews 600 Face Masks For Strangers

HANOVER, MD — People ranging from amateur sewers to expert seamstresses are helping outfit others with handmade face masks during the coronavirus pandemic. Transportation Security Administration supervisor Jill Hays, who works at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), tapped into her skill to first make a couple dozen masks for her daughter, a nurse, and her co-workers at UPMC St-Margaret Hospital in Pittsburgh. An additional 10 face masks were sized for children.

From there, her efforts snowballed into sewing hundreds upon hundreds of masks for people across the country.

Hays sewed 15 for her for her daughter-in-law to share with her colleagues at Scenery Hill Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center in Pennsylvania with sizes for adults and children. Then, when Hays went public with her willingness to make masks for others, the demand exploded.

“I put out a message on Facebook telling people that regardless of their circumstances that I would make them masks. All they had to do was to send me a message,” Hays said.

The orders for her free masks poured in and so far she has sewn and shipped more than 600 of them, mostly mailed to strangers who requested her help. A stranger sent her a $200 donation to help cover supplies accompanied by a thank you note. A nurse working at a Florida hospital asked her to make 60 masks. A nurses's association has requested 40.

With such a high demand for Hays' masks, when exactly does she make them while working at BWI from 3:30 a.m. to noon? First, she unselfishly used vacation time, dedicating up to eight hours each day sewing. Now back at work, she spends her afternoons sewing.

“It kept me focused on something positive and away from watching the depressing news about the coronavirus all day long,” she said.

Hays' husband also stepped up to help, taking over her routine chores like cooking and cleaning to free up her time so she could focus solely on making masks. She sends a note with each mask reminding the recipient to wash it before wearing for the first time and oftentimes will receive thank you notes in return, letting her know how appreciative they are for her kindness.