Group belled for making thousands of masks

What: Ben’s Bells promotes kindness and community involvement. Each week a person who makes Tucson better is “belled.”

Last week’s recipient: Casa Alitas Welcome Center mask makers

Nominated by: Lisa Kirsch

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Why: For making masks for the community. The Casa Alitas Welcome Center mask makers make cotton masks for organizations that help underserved populations in Southern Arizona and beyond. The group has made and delivered more than 26,000 masks. This awesome crew is now 60-plus strong — they share fabric, patterns and elastic, and have provided free masks to many organizations in Tucson and also to Native American reservations hit hard by COVID-19 throughout the state, Kirsch wrote in her nomination letter. Prior to COVID, many of these ladies volunteered at the Casa Alitas Welcome Center, which provides care, short-term shelter, and help to reunite with family members for migrant families who have left their home countries to escape violence and poverty. Since the pandemic hit, these ladies (many of whom are in the 65+ age group) have been mostly at home and decided to find an alternative way to volunteer as safely as possible. “I greatly admire my mom and her friends, who are making the most of this challenging time by helping others, including those most vulnerable to COVID-19,” Kirsch wrote. The group is accepting donations that will go directly toward supplies here: gf.me/u/y673mf

For more information: Go to tucne.ws/bellee to submit a name. Go to bensbells.org or call 622-1379.