2020_06_Blues_Final_Reduced

PRINCETON //
From Keepsakes to Hospital Essentials
In early April, orders ground to a halt at Patchwork Bear, Jennifer
Cura’s Princeton-based keepsake company. At the time, Cura didn’t
expect to put her sewing skills to use for an entirely new purpose. Then
she heard from Dr. Garrett Sutter, chairman of emergency medicine at
Capital Health Hospitals and a fellow parent at her childrens’ school.
Anticipating a shortage in protective gear at the Trenton and
Hopewell hospitals that comprise the Capital system, Sutter asked
Cura if she could design an isolation gown. The 50-year-old Cura, who
normally makes stuffed memory animals and quilts out of saved clothing,
sprang into action, creating sample gowns made of both Tyvek and
muslin. Neither material fit the bill.
Ultimately, focusing on a durable gown that could be washed and
reused, Cura scored quilting material from a fabric warehouse in Paterson.
Sew-on cuffs came from a sweatshirt manufacturer in Pennsylvania.
After testing the new prototype, hospital personnel suggested
that the Velcro fasteners be replaced with wrap-around ties. “They
wanted something they could change out of quickly and they could do
by themselves,” says Cura.
The order was placed: 1,000 gowns, stat.
Cura brought home four sewing machines from her Princeton
studio and recruited her son, Luke, and daughter, Mia, to help sew the
gowns. Husband Rick cut the fabric. Needing more help, Cura turned
to Trenton-based Switlik, a supplier of inflatable vests and rafts for the military. Monies raised on GoFundMe supported
the project. In fewer than three weeks, the unlikely team was able to fulfill the hospital’s needs. Subsequently,
Cura’s family sewed gowns and masks for the Army Corps of Engineers.
“She’s not a medical person, she’s just someone who was able to fill a breach,” says Sutter of Cura’s ingenuity. “The
people who are wearing these gowns are really appreciative.”—JPC
PHOTOGRAPHS: (GOWNS) COURTESY OF RICK CURA ; (DRIVER) LAURA BAER
RIDGEFIELD PARK //
Tempers Flare in the Grocery Aisles
There are some days when Christina Thomas doesn’t feel like
going to her part-time job at the Ridgefield Park IGA. But, says
Thomas, “I know that if I don’t go into work, there’s no one
there to take my spot.”
Thomas, a student at the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut,
returned home to Bogota when classroom teaching
was suspended and began picking up shifts at the Village IGA,
where she has worked on and off for the past three years. The
coronavirus hit Bergen County hard, and the store is often
short-staffed, putting extra pressure on Thomas. She says it’s
difficult to complete her duties at the store while also enforcing
social distancing. What’s more, conditions at the store are
often hectic and can grow contentious. Tempers have flared.
“Lines are going down the aisles, and people are snapping
at each other saying, ‘Stay six feet back’ and ‘Where’s your
mask?’” she says.
While some shoppers are on edge, others maintain their
neighborliness and inquire about her life—just as they did before
the pandemic. “A lot of people are caring,” says Thomas.
“They’ll ask me how I’m doing, even though they don’t know
my first name. But now, there’s a gloominess to it.”
—Royal Thomas II
UPS driver Mike
Canfield has done
more than his
share during the
coronavirus lockdown.
“I’m doing
more stops than at
Christmas,” says
Canfield. “It’s not
the volume that’s
greater, it’s the
number of stops.
I usually do 120
stops in a day; now
I’m doing 200.”
People throughout
New Jersey gained a fresh appreciation for
postal workers and drivers like Canfield,
who have been bringing the world to their
doorsteps throughout the health crisis. ✤
JUNE 2020 NEW JERSEY MONTHLY 57