Kaila Rosing
Scout sews masks for homeless
Once the COVID-19 pandemic hit, cities around the nation announced mandated stay-at-home orders. But what about those who don’t have a home?
At the start of the pandemic, that very question occurred to Kaila Rosing, a ninth grader at Scripps Ranch High School. Rosing is a Girl Scout with a passion for doing community work and helping people experiencing homelessness.
“I started thinking — we have a home, so we can actually quarantine and stay away from other people,” Rosing said. “But the homeless don’t have that, so what can we do for them?”
Rosing is on a mission to provide face masks for those experiencing homelessness. As of 2019, San Diego County ranks in the top five major cities with the largest homeless populations.
“They have it the hardest during this pandemic situation,” Rosing said.
Her goal is to make and collect a total of 300 face masks.
“I’m hoping to exceed the goal,” Rosing said.
She’s donating the masks to People Assisting the Homeless (PATH), an organization with a mission to end homelessness for individuals, families and communities. So far, she’s had 100 masks donated and sewn more than 100 herself, using old sheets that she owns.
“I did not know how to sew — my mother taught me,” she said. “We have a sewing machine at home and it doesn’t take that long to sew a mask.”
How many does she manage to sew per day, on average?
When she was in school, she averaged five masks a day.
“These days it’s 20,” Rosing said.
As a Girl Scout, Rosing is also submitting this project for the Girl Scout Gold Award, which is the highest award achieved in the Girl Scouts organization. It requires a minimum of 80 hours of work on a project that’s sustainable, a proposal and a project report.
She plans to keep sewing masks to donate to PATH through the summer, and to continue supporting homeless populations in other ways.
Residents can donate masks by contacting Rosing through her website bit.ly/3d8Xz7H or by email, kailas.mask.project@gmail.com.