KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Twelve-year-old Lucas Strunk loves using the 3-D printer he got for Christmas. With the coronavirus pandemic, the McCreary County seventh-grader said he has a lot more free time.
So, he decided to 3-D print face shields for medical professionals.
"I wanted to do this to help out in the little part that I can in these scary times," Strunk said. "[These medical professionals] are the real heroes of this day."
With the support of his community, Lucas Strunk has purchased two additional 3-D printers to make the process go quicker. He is giving the face shields to any medical professional who requests one.
Across Tennessee and Kentucky, hundreds of crafters are doing similar projects to help protect essential workers.
Masha "Mosh" Baranova, a University of Tennessee biochemistry alumna, decided to help out after her MCAT was postponed.
"With an evident shortage of personal protective equipment, I decided to start making masks and give them away for free," Baranova said. "I wanted to tell the essential workers thank you."
Baranova's mother told 10News that Mosh has been sewing from early morning into the night, making more than 150 masks already.
Honey Spalvins is a first-grade teacher at A.L. Lotts Elementary School. She said she has been talking to her 9-year-old son about COVID-19 and decided this was the best way they could help.
"His dad and his uncles were out there and we have a lot of family in states where COVID-19 is just rampant," Spalvins said. "We've been making masks and sending them to family, friends and whoever needs them in our community."
She taught herself how to sew, and then taught her son. She's been donating them to store clerks, postal carriers and other essential workers.
Babs and Chris Des Marteau moved to Tennessee from New Orleans. They started making masks for their daughter-in-law who works in a Louisiana emergency room before reaching out to health care workers and assisted living facilities in the area.
"If we can do anything to help protect them, it helps protect all of us," Babs Des Marteau said. "We thank them very much for their personal sacrifice to be in danger’s way to help everyone."
Charlene Butler has been making masks tirelessly for the past several days, her son Devin Jones told 10News. Butler has beat cancer twice and still gets tired easily, but wants to make sure her family and community members are protected.
"I'm making masks because all my friends, neighbors, children are in the medical field," Butler said. "It's our way of saying hello... I appreciate you, I pray for you and hope that these masks protect you in your daily walk."
Sharon Moore, of Crossville, is part of the Protecting the Plateau group in Cumberland County making masks for healthcare heroes. With the help of her husband, Gary, and the supervision of her dog, Molly, Sharon said she's gotten a lot done.
"We've already delivered one batch and we're making another batch to deliver to Cumberland Medical Center this week," Moore told 10News. "We know firsthand how dedicated and caring the entire staff is at Cumberland Medical Center."
Candy Macon and a group of friends have sewn more than 700 hundred washable cotton masks for doctor's offices, UT Medical Center, assisted living facilities and families.
Macon, a retired nurse, considered going back to work. Then, her friend Martha asked for help sewing masks.
"When the COVID-19 pandemic hit so many were asking what can I do to help?" Macon said. "We wanted to serve our Lord and give back to our community."
