(CNN Newsource) — Starting Monday, people in Houston will have to wear masks when they’re in public.
It’ll be in place for at least 30 days. And, that has people scrambling to get or make facial coverings.
Singer and Texas native Willie Nelson has found a way to help.
Take yourself back to March 4th.
Willie Nelson performing for an adoring crowd of 75,000, just days before the rodeo shut down.
Tanya Boike says, “I told my husband, get me to the store so we can get the materials, the sewing machine.”
Tanya Boike got to work as the restrictions and closures piled up. She even found a new friend on Facebook.
Monica Cabazos is a nurse who started helping her both get fabric and distribute the masks.
Monica Cabazos says, “I remembered about us as a community during Harvey and the flooding we had. I said, everybody was helping each other.”
Together they’ve distributed more than 500 masks.
But, then Tanya started thinking back to the rodeo concert.
She had met Willies’ granddaughter, Noelle, a few years ago and figured why not send a mask to Willie and his wife?
Tanya Boike says, “she texted me a few minutes later and said pops would rather sign these and have them auction them off. That way you can get more materials and keep making these masks for free. I just lost it. That’s not what i had made them for.”
Noelle Ward says “Well, that’s him. That’s who he is. That’s him every day. He’s just relaxed. He’s just giving. He’s just got a great smile, and he’s just the best.”
The money raised from auctioning off Willie’s now-autographed masks will go toward making more masks.
Tanya Boike says, “I wanted to give her a big hug as soon as I walked outside. I was like I’m so sorry I can’t hug you. It’s been emotional, really, because there are a lot of people that need these masks.”
The auction for the masks will go online Saturday.
