A quick note to say I put all the inventory in the mask shop. Everything I've got - fitted, pleated, kids, and filters - is in there now. I changed some prices (lower), added some more info (the elastic style is noted in every item now so you don't have to guess). I even added SEO tags (shot in the dark but what the heck).
I finished a custom mask order last week for Squarepeg Construction. Image420 silk screened the logo and I sewed the 4 coordinating fabrics into some stylish fitted masks. The customer was very happy with them. Find out how you can get branded masks for your company here.
I just got some pretty new fabrics and will be whipping up more masks in the next two weeks. Chickens! Unicorns! Can't wait to show you.
Be careful out there friends. That virus variant is scary contagious.

Hello friends,
This is Jen Murphy, one of the founders of Masks of Love. We started last March with a handful of people who didn't even know each other yet, joining forces to get as many face masks into local hands as we could, as fast as we could. The shortage was severe and the response incredible. With hundreds of volunteers, a powerful core group, and generous donations of money, materials, and skills, those initial efforts put well over 6000 masks into our community. I was the volunteer coordinator, fabric bundle-er, and website builder, among many hats.
As the spring turned to summer we realized this pandemic wasn't going anywhere and the pace of demand was burning people out. In June we changed gears. With a team of 3 from the volunteer phase, Sara, Casey and Amy, the project was relaunched as an enterprise. The aim was to keep providing masks to people in Western NC while providing income to staff and sewers. This worked well for 6 months, with sales of more than 1500 masks, income for 10 people, and still providing close to 2000 donated masks, via the Buy 1/Give 1 model.

Now we are changing gears again. As of January 1, the 2.0 team is retiring and handing it back to me. Sara, Casey and Amy have other jobs which picked up again over the summer and fall. They have been doing quite a juggling act to keep up. I am ready to take it on as a one woman show (plus sewing help), simplifying operations. The Buy 1/Give 1 will continue and hopefully expand. I am proud of all the places we've reached so far.

I've been updating the website and store. I'm excited about the business orders coming in, including Curate Tapas Bar and Squarepeg Construction. And we have a new retailer - Southern States. Pick up your chicken scratch and a mask at the same time! Reach out on on the new For Businesses page for info on how you can get professional looking, locally made masks on your crew.

I'm hoping 2021 will put us out of business with the vaccine, but meanwhile let's wash our hands and wear our masks!
Jen Murphy

Come visit us most Sunday afternoons this fall at the Haywood Common Market on Haywood Road in West Asheville. Great mask selection alongside   happy people with dogs and kids in the sunshine, what's not to love?
507 Haywood Road, 11 am to 3 pm

We've invited several local artists to enhance our masks with their work. They have used paint, embroidery, screen printing, block printing and more. We are excited to introduce them:
Becca Ward of Phuzzy Funk
Meagan Morgan of Wild Indigo
Sally Anne Morgan of Rat Bee Press
Ami Pruett
Michael Riesch of Cardboard Couch
Haley Yeagar
Claire Shadomy
Wyatt Grant
Cherry Mountain Tie-dye

Asheville and these Blue Ridge Mountains are full of talented artists. We are happy to be able to pay them for their work in this difficult time. Support the arts AND stay well with Masks of Love!

​Masks of Love is thrilled to support Umoja Health, Wellness and Justice Collective with our next mask donation!
Every mask purchased form masksoflovewnc.org will help provide a mask to Umoja during this time.
Umoja Health, Wellness, and Justice Collective is a Nonprofit organization that was founded in Asheville NC in 2019 to address trauma, healing and resilience through creating a community of connections. To learn More about Umoja, check out our community outreach pag…
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So happy to be able to assist great organizations like the Asheville Sex Worker Outreach Project! There are so many people trying to protect out most vulnerable populations and it gives us hope during these trying times! ​

So excited to have another great partner in our community! We were able to give some masks to
Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church
this week!
What does Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church Community Outreach programs do?
Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church's Community Outreach Program is a stronghold in the Walton St area - including Livingtone and Erskine communities -TMBC's Outreach impacts families every other week through distributing food and essential items. They've been a resource like this for the community since 2009. If you have interest in donating money, resources, or time to this outreach effort, contact Director Patricia Flowers at Tabernacle Missionary Baptist Church.

This weeks donations went to the Julian F. Keith Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center, a part of the NC Department of Health and Human Services. We appreciate what they do for public health and they really appreciated the masks! Www.masksoflove.org #supportlocal #828isgreat #ashevillesmallbusiness #community #solidarity

​Built in 1898, Rock Hill Missionary Baptist Church has been a resource in the Shiloh community for a long time. They serve folks at a community market as well as being around and available for lots of community service in the neighborhood.
Bobbette Mays is a community service leader at Rock Hill and in Shiloh. Here she is accepting re-usable masks from Masks of Love as well as Lenore Baum. Lenore had the idea to reach out to the Shiloh community, then started sewing and invited Masks of Love to join in the efforts. We love joining forces with others in the community to improve all of our health! Let us know if you or your favorite organization is in need of masks!