Anneliese Place a Santa Barbara Mask Makers

My mom has sewn, donated, and organized a sewing group to help her sew & donate masks to our military, homeless, disabled and essential workers. Over 50 THOUSAND masks sent out into the world for free. She collected fabric resources and paid for everything else out of her savings. She has given so much to so many and never asked for anything in return. Our local paper The Santa Barbara Independent named her a hometown hero and that is where i got the idea she could get her story told.

How it happened: She found out the doctors and surgeons at Walter Reed Medical Hospital were wearing their n95 masks for a week at a time because her daughter is a maxiofacial surgeon in the US NAVY and called her and they talked about no clean PPE. She had not sewn in decades, she found a sewing machine locally and started sewing camo masks the military could wear at work to cover their n95 to keep them clean. Sewing night and day, shipping them off to Washington DC as fast as she could. and realized there were no masks available for essential workers, homeless, physically disabled and hospitals for humans and animals locally and off she went on a mission to get those masks made! She has with the help of the other amazing sewers she organized have delivered over 50 thousand face masks around the nation. Thousands of lives have been saved and this was done not for any type of income at all… they don’t even say who the masks are from, masks are dropped off with a little wink saying I have something for you and never even waiting for a thank you. Truly the kindest heart helping others in need.

What other characteristics has your Hero demonstrated to support this nomination?

A heck of a creative person, not even remembering how to sew she figured out how to design a mask, rally a city to donate unused fabric, pick it up, sew it and distribute it all without ever receiving any financial donations. She is not a non profit she is a person helping thousands of people were she saw a need that she could help with.

Describe the impact of your Hero on a local, regional, national, and/or international level.

Being able to step in and support our military doctors working with COVID19 patients before our own government helped save lives of doctors and helped stop the spread in our national hospital. Homeless all the way from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles skid row have received a warm smile and bags of masks to wear for free. Locally the animal hospitals, local hospital, restaurant, post offices, schools, grocery stores, essential workers everywhere, physically disabled and absolutely anyone that need a mask Anneliese has touched has been given a mask at no cost

Is there anything else about your Hero that you would like the committee to consider?

Anneliese has hosted exchange students from around the world since 2008. She has touched the lives of so many children and they stay in touch with her as a second mom. She is a single mom who struggles from time to time financially but always finds a way to help others in need. A real miracle worker.