Meet Phyllis Warman, a Seaview resident who’s managed to get thousands of scrub caps sewn and donated to health-care workers … and she doesn’t even sew!

Her daughter Jenna, who also lives in Seaview, is an ER Trauma Nurse at Harborview Medical Center, and expressed frustration about people not taking COVID-19 seriously. Phyllis learned that health-care workers like her daughter need scrub caps: “The hospitals only provide paper caps and prioritize those for surgical staff. The plastic shields ER and ICU staffs now wear dig into their scalps, patients cough on them — especially after the COVID-19 test — so who knows what’s getting in their hair and these days, every day is a Bad Hair Day. Scrub caps help. A lot. Health-care staff have to provide their own and wash them after every 12-hr shift. What better way to thank our brave, front-line healthcare workers — like my daughter, your neighbor — than with a much-needed and appreciated gift like this?”

When Phyllis made that pitch to an online neighborhood group, she recruited dozens of volunteers to sew caps. They’ve made almost 2,500 caps that have gone to hospitals in Washington, California, Arizona, and Nevada. The need is great, so she would love to sign up more volunteers! Her project is called Sew Very Grateful. Here are four ways you can be part of it:

1. Join our team of volunteer seamstresses/seamsters and machine-sew as many caps as you are willing.
2. Donate fabric (100% cotton quilt)
3. Donate funds for fabric
4. Recruit others

Also, Phyllis adds, “I can supply patterns, fabric, curbside delivery and pickup.” If you can help, or have a question, email SewVeryGrateful@outlook.com.

(Thanks to one of the Sew Very Grateful volunteers, Sue Lindblom of longtime WSB sponsor Illusions Hair Design, for the tip about Phyllis!)