Chicago Launches Homemade Cloth Mask Drive

CHICAGO (CBS) -- The City of Chicago is collecting donations of homemade masks for people who need them, and they still need help making them.

The city has launched a campaign called "Chicago Together! Make a Mask, Give a Mask, Wear a Mask." The donated masks will be given to homeless shelters, community health clinics, essential public sector workers and other organizations to prevent the spread of COVID-19 amongst the city's high risk residents. According to the city's website data has shown the most high risk resident to be "vulnerable residents on Chicago's South and West Side communities."

Some things to remember when making masks:

• Wash your hands before starting and do it frequently throughout the process.
• Wash and dry the fabric first so it's pre-shrunk and clean.
• Use three layers of fabric. The ones on the inside and outside should be tightly woven cotton; the layer in the middle will preferably be a non-woven fabric.
• Bring the masks to drop-off points in tightly closed, clean boxes or bags that won't open if they're tossed into and out of a bin. Wear gloves and a mask when you do so.
• Label the number of masks in each container with clear, large markings that won't fall off.
• You can also use these drop-off sites to donate disposable masks if they are in their own packaging.

Go to Chicago.gov/coronavirus for more guidelines on how to make cloth masks and to find drop off locations.

The citywide drive runs through May 16.