About the Distill My Heart project

This has been made possible by a large contribution of material from the American Distilling Institute in Hayward, CA – What we need to get the job done in time to make it really matter is funding for people working on the project.

The goal: Provide ~~1700~~ 3400 masks to at-risk people. We can help keep these at-risk folks out of the hospitals by providing masks.

The Crafty Avenger has joined forces with Circuit Launch, Ace Monster Toys Makerspace, and other great arts and maker groups in the Bay Area to achieve this ambitious goal. The clock started on April 13th to make masks as fast as possible to make a difference.

We are supporting the most vulnerable among us with these masks. The folks in homeless shelters; in-home healthcare workers; grocery workers, etc. Masks are constructed in a safer workspace by protected workers and packaged for no-contact distribution. The distribution has been pre-determined.

Project Partners

Project Supporters

Distill My Heart – Under the hood

There are a million projects out there and a lot of people have asked for resources for ambitious projects. We believe trust is everything so we are sharing how we are succeeding in bringing masks to people in a timeline.

 April 9th

MakerMask.org hooked us up with large HWPP donation (conference bags) from The American Distilling Institute – Pallet Leaves NC!

 April 10-12th

The crack team of operational ninjas, non-profits, and business form The Team and take on this goal. Lead by Rachel (aka The Crafty Avenger) she is joined by Ace Monster Toys Makerspace, Circuit Launch and many others from the local artist and maker community include All Bay Area PPE and OSMS-Bay Area.

 April 12-13

Safe workspaces are set up in two locations focusing on worker/volunteer safety! Mask style is defined, the packaging is designed, etc. Sewists and more are recruited. All the operations and fundraising structures get set up and we being order supplies.

 April 14

Bags Arrive. We distribute to AMT and Circuit Launch for breakdown by our awesome volunteers. Laser cutting begins. Sewing begins with pro sewists. Fundraising and volunteer recruiting begins. Update: Alas FedEx was a day late but a last-minute donation of 200 bags got us started anyway!!

 April 15th

Bags Arrive! Breakdown, laser cutting, and packing continues. Kits for remote/home sewist go out including safety kits. Masks are packaged for distribution. Everything is delivered with safer delivery practices, no-contact.

 April 16th

The first Masks are distributed! Processing and distribution continue as masks are finished. We being to see how the fundraising will pan out and bring on contractors where we can. Recruiting from the out of work bar, the hospitality industry preferred.

 April 17th – 30th

We continue, breakdown, kitting, packaging, and distribution going as fast as resources allow. Update: The First 30 piece mask bundle went out the 17th to SF homeless health clinic! Update: We discovered the yield from the bags was double meaning enough for 3400 masks on April 21st. We begin strategies to extend the project.

 June 30th ~

Wrap any administrative needs, celebrate all the people who came together to make it happen and give a final report to everybody who donated.