Siouxland small business owner making reusable medical face masks

CORRECTIONVILLE, Iowa — Our nation's medical professionals are on the frontlines battling the coronavirus and many don't have the necessary equipment to stay safe.

That's where the crew from Heartland Coffee and Nosh comes in. They've rounded up the entire family and are sewing cloth face masks while spending time in social isolation.

Since they are washable, these are able to be reused. This project began after seeing a post from Mercy One Siouxland Medical Center.

"I saw on Facebook somewhere, someone had posted that MercyOne had put out a tutorial video so I sent that to my mom because I know that she has a stash of fabric," said Nosh owner Stacy Orndorff. "So we've been trying to increase the efficiency and process so that we could make a few more."

Stacy says they can make 8 to 10 masks an hour. The masks will be donated to those in the Siouxland community who need them most.

"So far, we've donated them to individuals who work for different hospitals," Orndorff said. "We are just going to do what we can each day. We will spend maybe 5 or 6 hours on it. If it becomes where there is not a need for it, then we won't make any more."

They've made nearly 100 reusable masks already and say they've heard from a number of area health professionals about the need to masks in the Siouxland area.