GREEN BAY, Wis — (NBC 26) -- Today we're learning more about the effort across northeast Wisconsin, to get face masks into the hands of first responders and health care workers. The Facebook group Wisconsin Face Mask Warriors says in our region, they have already sent out nearly 10-thousand masks, but they still have nearly 130-thousand orders yet to fill.
In one room of Allison Gibbons home, her six-year-old son is attending his virtual classroom, and in another, his mother is giving English lessons to her 11th graders at Green Bay's New Lutheran High School. Allison says while her family and students are getting used to the change, these are trying times for everyone.
"Like just being cooped up in your own house, I know it's bothering me and I can't imagine being a social butterfly teenager and needing to spend time with your friends."
But being active and letting that pent up energy release, isn't a problem at the Gibbons home. That's because once the naps are taken by the two and four-year-olds, and the course work is done by the six-year-old, Allison recruits everyone under her roof to make face masks for strangers.
"I got my husband involved and taught him to sew this past week and he just finished his first mask start to finish. He was so proud of himself this afternoon," says Gibbons with a huge grin.
Gibbons says her kids are doing their part too, just like families across Wisconsin. And so far with everyone's help at northeast Wisconsin's Face Mask Warriors collectively they have churned out 10-thousand masks. But, the group says they still have 120-thousand more requests, yet to fill.
"If we can do something as simple as making masks for them, then we're just gonna keep doing that," says Gibbons.
The days for Gibbons are admittedly long, many nights Allison says she gets just four to five hours of sleep with her increased workload.
"Some days my head hits the pillow and I'm like what just happened."
But this is work that's important for her, and for countless people across the state. And Gibbons says it's also work that allows her to share an important life lesson with her children.
"To be human is to show love to each other and you can't do that by just doing one job, going home and shutting yourself off from the rest of the world. And that's just how I was raised, and how I want to raise my kids, to be helpers. I want to be that helper. I want to be that for somebody."
The Wisconsin Face Mask Warriors still have a lot of work to do, and they are looking for people to help now. Check out their Facebook page here if you think you could be an asset to their ever-growing team of volunteers.
