SUDBURY -- Volunteer sewers are busy making masks to help a local non-profit organization stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The protective face coverings are being sold to support Pet Save in Sudbury, during a time when it was forced to close a local thrift store, a major source of financial support.

So far Pet Save volunteer Joy Kitchener has sewn 800 masks.

She came up with the idea to make masks as a fundraising effort for the organization throughout the pandemic.

"We are thrilled because we have received many donations of fabric which is helpful. Elastic which is beyond helpful. We have had to buy but we appreciate all the donations," said Kitchener.

"It is tedious but it is for a good cause and the response makes us want to continue."

Pet Save helps over one thousand animals each year at a cost of $600,000.

In three weeks the sales of the masks have raised over $15,000.

"Within days the orders kept coming so we actually ended up putting a big sewing group together because Joy couldn't keep up anymore. So we now have a team of a dozen people pumping them out by the hundreds," said Jill Pessot, director of Pet Save.

Joy Kitchener loves animals and is happy to help Pet Save.

"We love the animals. We appreciate all the work that Pet Save does. We have fostered, we have adopted animals from Pet Save. We have rescued a horse, we have rescued rabbits. It means a lot of us, and we know that their bills are huge and we know that because of the pandemic the vet bills don't stop," said Kitchener.

The masks sell for ten dollars each and can be purchased at the Pet Save thrift store on Notre Dame Avenue in Sudbury and Triple Star Acres Farm in Blezard Valley.