Even as we maintain social distancing during the effort to stop the spread of coronavirus, the SHA community – tenants, staff and partners – are finding ways to help each other. If you know of stories about people helping meet the needs or lift the spirits of others, let us know and we’ll share them. Email Brittney Nitta-Lee, editor of The Voice. Thanks to everyone for acts of kindness large and small throughout our SHA community.

Masks and rice

Yesler resident Huyen, her teenage son Andrew and Huyen’s caregiver Mai worked together to donate forty 5-pound bags of rice to seniors facing food scarcity and commissioned the making of 1,500 face masks for their community. 

“Andrew and I just wanted to help other people in our community and just wanted to give back to our community in this crisis,” said Huyen. 

Huyen said Andrew helped cover part of the expenses with money he had received as gifts during the Vietnamese Lunar New Year, along with all his saved quarters.

Also, Huyen had heard that Seattle residents Anna and Tammy were sewing masks in their homes and donating them to local hospitals and nursing homes. Huyen contacted them and asked if they would be willing to make masks for people living at Yesler. Anna and Tammy agreed to donate their time and Huyen, Andrew and Mai were able to pay for enough fabric to make 1,500 masks. 

Andrew has already distributed 500 of the masks to residents in their building. Huyen and Andrew will coordinate with SHA Community Builder Ben Wheeler to distribute the remaining 1,000 masks in other buildings at Yesler. 

 “We just do it with our heart and wanted to give back to the community to repay how they help us when we are in need,” Huyen said.