GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — A Calvin University student decided to take her family’s discarded old clothes, and turn them into in-demand cloth masks.
Freshta Tori Jan’s sophomore year was cut short, like so many other students, during the pandemic.
From her home in Rockford, she learned about the challenges the homeless population is facing during the crisis. It’s one of the most vulnerable when it comes to COVID-19, as they have a greater risk of becoming sick because of crowded conditions, chronic health problems and lacking access to care.
Tori Jan decided to pull from her experiences growing up in Afghanistan, to help the homeless.
“I didn’t know what to do and I really, really wanted to help,” Tori Jan said. “So I remembered we had a big pile of Goodwill clothes, and Goodwill was closed, so we couldn’t take them. I remembered growing up at home all girls are kind of required to learn how to sew. And so I was like, why not use my basic skills to start making masks for the homeless, that’s the least I can do.”
Tori Jan’s passion for others, also comes from injustices her family faced in Afghanistan. She said her parents were tortured, some of her close friends were killed, she faced religious persecution, and the Taliban shut down her school.
Before her senior year of high school, Tori Jan moved to West Michigan, and is now studying political science and pre-law at Calvin University.
Her idea has now become a business, called Sew True, and she recently decided to open an online store.
People can visit her website to buy masks for themselves, and the homeless. She is also accepting donations and any extra fabric the community can provide.
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