13-year-old Louisiana girl makes face masks to help first responders during pandemic

The one piece of personal protective equipment we have seen many people make throughout this pandemic is face masks.The latest to join in making the masks for first responders and many others is Harley Bate.It's surprising because Harley Bate isn’t an adult with a job making these masks. Harley is a 13-year-old in seventh grade sewing them.On Wednesday, she donated nine of the masks to the Live Oak Fire Department in Waggaman, Louisiana. Naturally, the ones she donated had flames on the masks."It fits great, the flames accent the truck," Fire Prevention Chief of Live Oak fire department Larry Frederick said.Bate, who loves fishing, sports, pageants and art, has been sewing these masks over the last month. She has made and donated 600 masks all around the country and locally to police departments, fire departments, nursing homes, hospices of New Orleans and the military."I wanted to start sewing masks because people during this outbreak are having to spend their well-earned money on masks when they should be spending it on food and stuff that they need," Bate said.She is making 60 masks a day.She has enough fabric to make 300 hundred more but her grandmother said her family from Texas is sending fabric her way as we speak.Bate will continue to make masks until the pandemic is over.

The one piece of personal protective equipment we have seen many people make throughout this pandemic is face masks.

The latest to join in making the masks for first responders and many others is Harley Bate.


It's surprising because Harley Bate isn’t an adult with a job making these masks. Harley is a 13-year-old in seventh grade sewing them.

On Wednesday, she donated nine of the masks to the Live Oak Fire Department in Waggaman, Louisiana. Naturally, the ones she donated had flames on the masks.

"It fits great, the flames accent the truck," Fire Prevention Chief of Live Oak fire department Larry Frederick said.

Bate, who loves fishing, sports, pageants and art, has been sewing these masks over the last month. She has made and donated 600 masks all around the country and locally to police departments, fire departments, nursing homes, hospices of New Orleans and the military.

"I wanted to start sewing masks because people during this outbreak are having to spend their well-earned money on masks when they should be spending it on food and stuff that they need," Bate said.

She is making 60 masks a day.

She has enough fabric to make 300 hundred more but her grandmother said her family from Texas is sending fabric her way as we speak.

Bate will continue to make masks until the pandemic is over.

