Coronavirus: 13-Year-Old Seamstress Makes 60 Masks a Day

A teenager in Waggaman, Louisiana, is using her sewing skills to help others protect themselves against the coronavirus.

Thirteen-year-old Harley Bate loves fishing, sports, pageants, and art, but recently put all her effort into making 60 masks a day for her community and anyone else who needed one, according to WDSU.

“I wanted to start sewing masks because people during this outbreak are having to spend their well-earned money on masks when they should be spending it on food and stuff that they need,” she said.

Bate recently donated 600 masks that were distributed to people all over the country, many of which went to Louisiana’s first responders, nursing homes, hospices, and members of the military.

Wednesday, the generous teen donated masks decorated with flames to firefighters at the Live Oak Manor Volunteer Fire Department.

“It fits great,” said Fire Prevention Chief Larry Frederick, adding, “The flames really accent, look it matches the truck.”

On Twitter Wednesday, WDSU reporter Sharief Ishaq shared a video of Bate with the firefighters at the department.

13-year-old Harley Bate is the latest to make face masks for first responders. She says she's sewing masks because people during this outbreak are having to spend their well-earned money on masks when they should be spending it on food and stuff that they need. @wdsu pic.twitter.com/mAz51Rq2aG

— Sharief Ishaq (@ShariefWDSU) April 16, 2020

In a Facebook post Thursday, the department thanked the teenager for her thoughtful donation.

The post read:

Miss Bate, donated 9 masks, one for each employee. This act of generosity at random was 110% appreciated by everyone here at Live Oak. For someone 13 years of age to be out of school and instead of playing games and finding ways to entertain herself by normal means, she chose to donate her time and become a bigger “hero” than the ones she is potentially saving with these masks. Thank you again Miss Harley Bate you will forever be in our hearts for this act of kindness!

Bate has enough fabric to make 300 more masks, but her grandmother noted that their family members in Texas were planning to send more material soon.

“I want to keep doing it until we run out of fabric and until this crisis is over, until people stop needing them,” Bate concluded.