BioPark Volunteers Put Their Passion, Skills Into Making Masks for Staff
The ABQ BioPark's doors may be closed to the public at the moment, but animal caregivers and horticulture staff are still hard at work.
And a group of BioPark volunteers have stepped up to provide these staff with the protection they need to safely perform their jobs. Two dozen volunteers have put in 225 hours to provide BioPark essential staff with nearly 400 homemade face coverings, some of them animal themed.
"It was an easy decision," said volunteer Darla Sanders about why she decided to help with the project. "If I could’ve gotten more material I would have made more. Thank you zookeepers for keeping our animals thriving!"
"It was important to me to do this so the staff can stay safe and healthy to continue their job taking care of our amazing BioPark," added volunteer Ana Zijlstra. "The BioPark staff are our heroes to the wildlife that live there!"
The ABQ BioPark is extremely thankful for the mask donations.
"We have a dedicated base of volunteers who consistently step up at the BioPark," said Cheri Vogel, ABQ BioPark Curator of Education. "This is just one more way that they have shown us their love and dedication to our staff and animals."
The work done by the BioPark's volunteers could help the City of Albuquerque qualify for federal relief funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which can reimburse volunteer hours at a rate of $25.43 per hour. Their volunteer spirit also helped preserve city funds, as the BioPark did not need to purchase masks from a third-party vendor (estimated savings is $2,730).
