Local company makes non-medical masks

By Coutney Bachar/The Oshawa Express/LJI Reporter

A local business owner has turned her shop into a production facility for non-medical masks to help support the vulnerable population in Oshawa.

Milena Holmes, owner of Frère Du Nord, who sells a collection of loungewear that is made onsite, has transformed the factory in her shop to create and donate masks to local community organizations to help keep people safe amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Holmes and her team have donated about 600 masks so far to local community organizations, including Feed the Need, Welcoming Streets, and Back Door Mission.

“It was the obvious thing to do,” says Holmes. “It was very easy to for me to do, there was no big switch-over as it’s a sewn product.

Holmes has been making masks since mid-March out of her Marwood Drive location, adding it was clear from the start that non-medical masks were not going to make it to the frontline workers, but there was an obvious need for people who don’t have access to masks but can’t self-isolate.

“The vulnerable population, our own community was a really obvious place that needs this kind of help,” she says.

In addition to making masks for donation, Holmes says she also recently opened up her website for people to be able to purchase masks or make a donation towards the cause so that Holmes and her team can continue making masks. She notes the purchasing of personal masks will be intermittent as the supply allows but says she wants to be able to continue making masks for donation as well.

In order to help keep her staff safe during production, Holmes set safety measures in place, adding they’ve been social distancing since early March.

“We’ve moved machines apart, we stagger breaks, and disinfect commonly used surfaces in between uses,” she says. In addition, while some of her staff are working on site, others are working from home to help with the distancing.

Upon reflection, Holmes is happy with the safety measures they’ve taken and believes they’re working. A staff member was suspected of being asymptomatic after her husband tested positive for the virus.

Holmes said everyone went into quarantine, and after more than 22 days, no one else has shown signs of getting it.

“The measures we took worked and we were able to keep working because we always said we knew this could happen and that somebody could come to work and have [the virus] and not know it. We knew it could happen and we wanted to make sure our workplace was not a place of spread. We are relieved and happy that our measures worked.”

While Holmes is starting to run into some issues such as a shortage in some materials, she hopes to be able to continue making masks for as long as the need is there.

“We will run into problems, I already can’t order anymore elastics, they’re completely sold out everywhere,” says Holmes, adding she’ll have to improvise and get creative to be able to continue making masks.

“We’ll probably have to switch fabrics… I won’t be able to use woven cotton anymore, I’ll have to switch to jersey,” she explains, adding they’ll also have to buy a wider elastic and cut them lengthwise to make the materials work for the masks.

“We’re just going to make due and keep making this stuff as long as there’s a need. I really consider this a service to our community,” she says. “I really understand people’s need to do something. Anybody who has the manufacturing ability has already switched over. I’m happy with the way all the industries have responded. We just do this… and we worry about the money later.”

Anyone wanting to purchase a mask or donate towards the cause can go to www.freredunord.com.