FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – MEDIA ADVISORY
Manassas, Virginia – At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a vast shortage of medical supplies to help protect healthcare workers as they battled on the front lines for all of us. House of Mercy’s mission being helping others in any capacity we are able to, we saw a need and started a Mask Making Initiative at the end of March to help fill it.
We put out a Call of Action to all of our volunteers, supporters, donors, and friends to help us make 5,000 masks to donate to different groups of local essential heroes, and boy did our support system come through! So many people came forward to be a part of our virtual assembly line and we are more than grateful! We had people from all over Northern Virginia donating fabric, offering mask-making advice, writing up “how-tos” for other volunteers, cutting fabric, organizing droves of volunteers from their own communities (specifically the Heritage Hunt Community, thank you!), and of course, sewing the marvelous masks. The support was inspiring.
Thanks to the multitude of volunteers who gave up endless hours of hard work and love to make these masks, we met, and even surpassed, our goal of making 5,000 masks!
Front line heroes from NOVANT Hospital, Manassas City Police Department, Manassas City Public Works, Manassas City Treasurer’s Office, Manassas City Traffic Control, Manassas City Finance Department, Manassas City Department of Revenue, Manassas City Department of Social Service, Nokesville Fire Department, and MedStar Hospital in DC all contacted us requesting help in supplying their departments with masks and we were able to provide them with even more than they requested, totaling 5,308 masks!
At House of Mercy, our mission is to perform works of mercy and by participating in our Mask Making Initiative, our volunteers made it possible for all of us involved to accomplish the Corporal Work of Mercy of visiting the sick during a time when doing that in person is not an option. We were able to help healthcare workers and front-line employees better protect themselves while they are taking care of our sick neighbors. So, a huge thank you to everyone who supported us throughout this endeavor and thank you to all of our heroes still tirelessly working on the front lines to protect us!
As a reminder, House of Mercy’s Thrift Store is now open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10am-4pm, our Donation Center is now open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10am-2pm, and our Food Pantry is still open Monday-Friday, 10am – 4pm. Please check our website for updated days and times as well as new required guidelines. Being shut down for months for the pandemic, in addition to our current limited hours, we are still being hit financially by the effects of COVID-19. Any help the community can offer to help fill that deficit during this difficult time, even volunteering your time, is greatly needed and appreciated! Please visit our website for more information at https://houseofmercyva.org.
ABOUT HOUSE OF MERCY
House of Mercy is a 501(c)3 nonprofit working to provide food, clothing, education and prayer to those in need in our community. We work with over 500 families each month through our food pantry and thrift store to help supply their basic needs.
CONTACT
Jessica Root, Executive Director
House of Mercy
8170 Flannery Court, Manassas, VA 20109
703-579-0280
jroot@houseofmercyva.org
houseofmercyva.org