Mattawa-area ladies keep town supplied with masks, blankets

MATTAWA/DESERT AIRE — For over 10 years, a group of ladies known as Cozy Comforts has been making blankets for children in the South County area who may need a blanket hug.

With the COVID-19 crisis and sudden need for masks, the group has also started making cloth masks. The ladies got into making masks when they got a call from a cancer center asking for masks for cancer patients undergoing treatment, according to Diane Hanson, one of the members of the group.

“While we were making them, I got a call from the Columbia Basin Health Association asking if we could make some for them,” Hanson said.

The Columbia Basin Health Association, or CBHA, asked for 100 masks. Hanson told them that she didn’t know if they could make that many, but they would do their best.

“A week later, I gave them 150,” Hanson said. “The ladies went crazy.”

So far, Cozy Comforts has delivered approximately 1,525 cloth masks. Most of the masks have been distributed in the Mattawa area. Hanson has been working with Mattawa Police Chief Joe Harris, who has been asking citizens to wear masks.

“We’re really trying to support the city of Mattawa right now,” Hanson said. “The virus is so bad. As long as the ladies keep wanting to make them (masks), we will provide them.”

While the large number of masks that Cozy Comforts has made may seem to indicate a whole army of seamstresses, there are only five to six ladies making the masks. These dedicated ladies are making the masks out of their own stashes of fabric and buying the elastic themselves.

“We’re making them with our own funds and not charging for the masks,” Hanson said. “I think we impressed the city. We want this virus gone too. We want to help keep our neighbors safe.”

The group is also supplying masks to Grant County Fire District No. 8.

In addition to making masks, the Cozy Comforts group is continuing to make blankets. Normally the group, which consists of six to 12 ladies, meets every Friday at noon at the Sagebrush Senior Center in Desert Aire. On the third Friday of each month, they start at 10 a.m. and have a potluck dinner.

Cozy Comforts became a non-profit in 2010, making blankets for the children of the southern Grant County area. The blankets are given to agencies such as Mattawa area medical clinics, Othello medical clinics, Othello Community Hospital, Mattawa Police Department, Grant County Fire District No. 8 and New Hope Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services in Mattawa and Moses Lake.

“We basically make blankets for those in need of a blanket hug,” Hanson said.

The different agencies that receive the blankets choose which children get the blankets. Hanson said that if the fire department is responding to a situation where a child’s parent is in need of care and the child is upset, they may choose to give the child a blanket.

“They can give them a blanket to help them feel better,” Hanson said. “If they have to transport a child, they usually give them a blanket.”

In the past 10 years, the group has made over 11,300 blankets.

“It’s amazing,” Hanson said. “We’re a really small group. It is amazing what these ladies produce.”

Each lady works on her own blanket. Methods for making blankets include knitting, crocheting and sewing. Hanson said that the group also does a lot of fleece blankets with colorful crocheting around the edges.

“It is a neat group of ladies,” Hanson said. “It’s really therapeutic. It helps us personally. We’re all retired. We come to visit, laugh and make blankets. And we’re doing something good for the community.”

Hanson said that it feels good to see someone or a little baby wrapped in a blanket that she has made.

Cozy Comforts accepts donations for both their blanket making and mask making.

“If anyone has elastic, we’d love to have it,” Hanson said. “It’s hard to get for these masks.”

Anyone wishing to donate can reach Hanson at 509-932-4039.