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Rimbey group donates $800 to local food bank

Many locals have found unique ways of donating to the food bank since march, including selling masks
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Janet Carlson poses for a photo in her flower shop after making a donation to the local food bank. Carlson also sold homemade masks, and the proceeds from that was then donated to the food bank. (Photo by Leah Bousfield)

The textile portion of the Rimbey Art Club recently donated $800 to the Rimbey Food Bank.

The money donated has been collected over the last nine months through the sale of masks the members of the club had made.

Mikki Collis, a member of the club, says the group of about five started making masks in March after a family member reached out looking them.

“In March a member got a call from her niece who is a nurse in California, says they were in desperate need of masks, and wanted to know if we could help. So that is where we started, making masks for that poor niece,” Collis said.

The first batch of masks, 100 in total, was sent to the niece in desperate need.

Over the last nine months the group has made upwards of 1,500 masks.

The group began donating their masks to places like the Rimbey Hospital, as well as to family and friends. They found community members wished to pay for the masks.

“We didn’t do it to sell or to make money, we did it for our community,” said Collis.

Proceeds from the sales of the homemade masks were donated to help the Rimbey Food Bank.

Janet Carlson also recently made a donation to the Rimbey Food Bank from the sale of homemade masks.

Collis says the demand for masks has lessened, now that they are more readily available just about everywhere.

For now, the group has stopped making masks, though is open to making more should the need arise.

“I don’t think we will be making any more for a while, but if there is a demand from our community is there, I think it is something we would rise to,” Collis said.