Reporter Letters to the Editor

Making masks
To the Editor:
I have made close to 100 masks for seniors and am finishing up a request for 30 masks from the owner of the IGA for the employees, which I donated earlier in the week.

So far, Vine Street, Marie Eiffel, a Shelter Island firefighter, and Island seniors have all been requesting masks.

Yesterday Isola requested masks for their employees working curbside.

I’m donating these masks for those at high risk and who are working to keep our community going.

I have a truly remarkable neighbor who has given me enough HEPA filters from vacuum bags to insert into each mask, which gives an actual barrier of protection in these much needed times when people can’t get Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) grade masks.
Please note: These homemade protective masks are not an acceptable substitute for PPE. This pattern and material are the best that I can find right now, and is community-based harm-reduction at best. There is no guarantee that these will be effective against the novel coronavirus.

Lynne O’Neil Colligan has been working tirelessly with me, cutting fabrics, sharing elastic and helping make this project move more quickly, so I am able to get them to those in need more quickly.

Please let me know if you are aware of anyone who needs masks and I am happy to make one for them. Email me at: [email protected]

Stay well, stay home, and let me know if I can offer these masks to anyone who needs one.
Susan Schrott
Shelter Island

How to help
To the Editor:
We are in the middle of one of the most challenging and uncertain moments that our Shelter Island restaurant community has ever faced.

The coronavirus has already disrupted the livelihoods of billions of people around the world. We have only just begun to feel the impacts this will have on Shelter Island and the restaurants we love. In response to this, we are announcing the “Shelter Island Action Alliance” whose sole purpose is to be a conduit to Island restaurants and generate business for them while simultaneously helping our front line workforce .

Eastern Long Island and Stony Brook Southampton hospitals employ numerous Islanders (doctors, nurses, therapists, janitorial staff) working on the front lines. With your monetary donation we’ll be able to support local restaurants by allowing them to continue to operate, hire back staff and do what they do best — feed the community by delivering food to the employees of the hospitals. For more information please email: [email protected] or send a Venmo donation to @shelterisland-actionalliance where 100% of all donations go directly to purchase meals on the Island.

We are in this together as an Island, as a community, as a nation.
Brett Surerus & Alex Graham
Shelter Island

Thanks
To the Editor:
Thank you for your tireless efforts to keep us all informed.
Wishing you perfect health.

Lion R. Zust
Shelter Island

Heading out
To the Editor:
I hope you’re all staying healthy and taking all the necessary precautions so we can all get back on with our lives.

When we do get back on track, we have some very nice new trails to explore, plus bird watching tours to look forward to.

I recommend checking out the new trail at Mildred Hird on Manhansett Road. It’s just a gorgeous little loop of 1.5 miles on the south side and a straight trail to a creek on the north side.

If any of you are motivated to take out your clippers and cut back new growth, wherever needed, please feel free to do so, just as long as you are already signed off with the town and Sylvester Manor.

Any help you can give to the marked trail at Sylvester Manor is greatly appreciated. Contact me if you need any forms. Any questions please let me know.

Have a great week and stay safe,

Joseph Denny
Shelter Island Trail Club