The campaign “Masks for everyone” was initiated by Jelka Verk, who works in Katapult in Trbovlje as part of the organization More than Beauty. In the beginning, a handful of volunteers provided goods for the production of protective face coverings, but they were soon joined by volunteers from all over Zasavje. Volunteers cut, packed and distributed 25 kilometres of fabric and 75 kilometres of elastic, from which more than 5,000 seamstresses made more than a quarter of a million protective face coverings. For her efforts, the main organizer of the campaign, Jelka Verk, was awarded the Apple of Inspiration award by the then President of the Republic of Slovenia, Borut Pahor, with the reasoning that such charity campaigns have a significant impact on changes in society, that they set an example for others and at the same time reinforce the belief that in an accident people they will not be left alone.
Photo: More than Beauty archive