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In the hour-to-hour battles that health care workers face with the spread of the new coronavirus, severe mask shortages have inspired local organizations, businesses and individuals to use their resources and talents to help those on the front lines.

Tricia Salcido, owner of Philomath-based Softstar Shoes, starting thinking about how to contribute after the state had reached out to Oregon manufacturers to arrange a meeting to discuss the possibility of retooling some of those businesses to help provide medical supplies from plastic bottles to masks, gowns and foot covers.

The meeting never happened but Salcido launched an immediate effort to help. She put in an order for metal dies to be able to mass-cut fabric that would go into mask-making kits that sewers could put together at home.

“We got the dies Tuesday afternoon and Tuesday night and (husband) Sal and I stayed up until 2 a.m. cutting out 400 masks, which is 1,600 pieces of material,” she said. “We made kits and my 16-year-old delivered them yesterday (Wednesday) to all of the elfs that are self-quarantined and the other volunteers.”

The kits include the four patterned pieces of tight-knit cotton plus elastic and laces. The die cuts can dramatically improve production speed and quality.