With 1,400 volunteer-made masks handed out, Midway offers remaining 300 to rest of county

The masks are packaged with instructions.

By Aaron Gershon
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

In early April, Midway kicked off a volunteer-driven project to make enough cloth masks to give one to anyone in the city free of charge.

Mayor Grayson Vandegrift said that if the city still had more than 100 masks available May 18, it would offer them to any resident of Woodford County.

Vandegrift said Friday that 1,400 masks have been distributed to Midway residents and 300 will become available to any Woodford County residents Monday.

Vandegrift said Woodford County Jail inmates joined Midway volunteers in mask production so residents of the rest of the county would have a chance to obtain them.

 “I want to thank Midway Makers Market and owner Amy Bowman, not to mention over 60 volunteers who have helped cut and press the fabric, sew the masks and prepare them with instructions for your use.”

Amy Bowman

Bowman, who came up with the idea, told the Messenger, “None of this would have been possible without the hard work of over 50 volunteers who worked in teams to wash fabric, cut, sew, press, sanitize, package and distribute the masks.”

Vandegrift said the city will continue to provide masks to any business in Midway that needs them as businesses begin to reopen.

The mayor emphasized the importance of wearing masks, which is recommended in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s reopening guidelines. “We expect that stores and shops will follow the guidelines,” he said. “After all, they don’t want their business brand to be hurt as being known as a virus farm, and they certainly don’t want to be forced to close again.”