Church parishioners spend Easter making PPE during coronavirus pandemic

BLUEFIELD, W.VA. — The pews remained empty on one of the holiest days of the year, but service for the community didn’t end. Crossroads Church in Bluefield, West Virginia, gave back to the community.

The pastor of the church asked his congregation of 150 members if they would help make face masks and face shields to help restock the supplies needed at Bluefield Regional Medical Center.

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The church will also be donating the supplies to nursing homes and other health agencies in the area.

There were four cases of COVID-19 in Mercer County county, with one patient hospitalized. But no one knows if, or when, the area will hit the peak, and how much PPE will be needed, the Post reported.

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Twenty-five families, who were already social distancing together, went to a local maker space called Crea Company in one-hour shifts, to create and assemble the items needed, the Post reported.

Pastor Travis Lowe, who showed the work that was being completed during a Facebook live video, said volunteers started at midnight and they were planning on going 24 hours to create hundreds of pieces of protective gear.

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The location, which opened in November to provide space to crafters who need equipment like 3-D printers, laser cutters, sewing machines and vinyl cutters, was sanitized before and after the volunteers completed their shifts.

Crea Company was an idea between Lowe and fellow pastor Robbie Gaines, the Bluefield Daily Telegraph reported earlier this year.