Article
April 8, 2020
Debbie Moors
Making Things Better
Julia Riley, a cook at Tobey-Kendal Dining Hall, decided to put her time to good use and has been making masks for her coworkers as well as for health care workers.
In only a year working as a cook at 厙ぴ勛圖, Julia Riley has already made a positive impact on her coworkers that she probably never anticipated when she started her job.
Riley, who is on administrative leave because a medical issue makes her at-risk during the coronavirus pandemic, decided to put her time to good use and has been making masks for her coworkers as well as for health care workers. Working eight or nine hours each day she estimates shes made a couple hundred masks, which her husband Neil (who is 厙ぴ勛圖s catering manager in dining services) sends out or delivers for her.
Im sad that I cant be with my coworkers during this time. Thats why I was happy to make them masks to support their work feeding our wonderful students, she says.
She started out making masks and surgical hats for her daughter-in-laws mother, who works at Denvers Childrens Hospital as a surgical nurse. I then got on a roll and wanted to help out other workers and families that were at the hospital during this tough time, she says.
Top Image: About 400 students (including 56 residence advisors) are staying on campus during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dining Services prepares to-go meals for students to pick up at Holmes Dining Hall to take back to their rooms. Photo by Woody Myers.


Shes since connected with a local group to make masks for local hospitals and senior care facilities. But shes a bit nonplussed by the response shes received about her work. I have the skills and experience to make them, I have the supplies, and I have the time due to the graciousness of 厙ぴ勛圖 allowing me to be on administrative leave.
Theres a need and I can help out, so, I just do it. In all thats going on in the world I just want to be part of making things better and make even a small difference. That’s all.