Watch CBS News

Medway Mother Makes Masks, Raises $10,000 For Food Pantry As Tribute To Daughter

MEDWAY (CBS) – A Medway mother has been making masks for months. It was project born out of tragedy. "I don't want to say the pandemic has been a blessing for us, but it literally feels like the world was put on pause," Sharon Hebert said.

It was as if the whole world stopped right as Sharon Hebert's did. The Medway woman lost her daughter Helen unexpectedly in February.

"It's been almost six months but it feels like it happened yesterday. But I feel like she's with us here," Hebert said.

Helen Hebert
Helen Hebert (WBZ-TV)

The fifteen-year-old was a giver, always doing for others. Now Sharon is giving in her angel's name.

"I took Helen's sewing machine, watched some YouTube videos and learned how to make a mask. Thousands of masks later here I am," she said.

She donated masks first to the elderly and veterans, then began selling them - with proceeds to the food pantry. She's raised more than $10,000.

Sharon Hebert
Sharon Hebert (WBZ-TV)

"When the pandemic first started the lines were pretty long. There were a lot of people and it was sad to see that," Hebert recalled.

Those lines don't seem to be lessening up, so Sharon keeps sewing - for her hometown, and her Helen.

"I feel Helen with me all the time. Sometimes when I'm feeling down I think about what Helen would want for me and the family. I just keep going. That's what she'd want. I've had a lot of people thank me for what I'm doing. This project has helped me more than it's helped them."

Hebert is still selling the masks daily from her Hill Street home. To learn more visit her Facebook page, Medway Mask Makers.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.