JACKSON COUNTY, Ind. — Sewing machines, fabric and elastic now fill one room inside a jail in Indiana. The Jackson County Jail's new program is sending hundreds of masks out into the community.
As the state begins to reopen, the governor and health officials are recommending people wear face masks when they are out and about. The masks these inmates are making will help meet the demand.
“It's definitely been an amazing opportunity,” said Jodi Messer, who is participating in the program.
The opportunity came after jail programs were suspended as a safety precaution amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"This was something the inmates could stay in house and all the equipment was there to do it. It was a no brainer to start making masks,” said Jackson County Sheriff Rick Meyer.
Meyer said the idea came from his jail sergeant. She knew how to sew and passed along the skill to women inside the jail. Though, to them it’s more than just a skill.
"It allows us to give back. It allows us to show that this will not define us,” said Messer. "It's almost setting us up like if we were outside, where we have a job. We get up we go to work we come home. It's kind of like that. It's preparing us for that."
When the program started in March, Meyer said the jail had just two sewing machines. Now that number has more than doubled as donations of supplies and machines pour in from the community. Just this week, a local business donated industrial sewing machines to the jail.
"We just got an order for 700 more masks this week, so it was perfect timing with the sewing machines and gives us the chance to make a lot more masks a lot quicker,” said Meyer. "It's been just a community wide effort and southern Indiana effort actually."
Meyer said all the masks made go right back into the community.
"We're willing to donate whatever we make,” he said. “We're just excited to be able to help out."
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