Many people are sewing and donating face masks in the fight against COVID-19, but for those who may not have those skills, Northwestern Lehigh science teacher Steve Weiss is offering alternatives.

“I knew folks were making masks by sewing but this single guy doesn’t have that skill set,” he said, “So, I literally went around my home to find no-sew alternatives.

“The more I looked, the more I found, from clothing to vacuum bags and even Swiffer Sweeper mop pads.

“I then decided to make my first YouTube DIY video.”

The seven-minute video is both humorous and helpful.

“Most views of my video have been from local friends, colleagues and students,” Weiss said. “Many found it to be informative and funny.

“I’m glad it brought a smile to their faces and lightened their spirits even for a brief time.”

Who wouldn’t enjoy seeing their favorite science teacher issuing instructions from his own home?

“I was a big fan of the TV show, MacGyver, so perhaps his character was my inspiration,” Weiss joked. “Honestly, I had a lot of coffee and needed to take a break from online teaching.”

Weiss then took on a more serious tone.

“I believe all of us have a desire to do something for others during this difficult time but feel helpless because most are stuck at home,” Weiss said. “I simply wanted to post it online for anyone who wanted to learn about simple options if they could not sew or had limited materials at home.”

To view the video, go to https://youtu.be/0QFS6jPM808 or https://youtu.be/cMUrhC2Yd8Y.

Home was where Jan Pavelco was accustomed to holding her yoga classes but social distancing orders have halted her in-person sessions.

That, however, has not prevented her from conducting her yoga classes on Zoom.

“I’m offering it as a free service because people really need it at this time,” Pavelco said. “Last week, we had 25 people join the class, including people from Connecticut, Rhode Island and Pennsylvania.

“People in the class asked if they could invite friends to join.

“You need some kind of grounding right now. You need a community.”

Pavelco’s yoga class meets three times a week on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays.

“People are responding well,” she said. “My regulars said sign me up.”

Pavelco said she receives a great satisfaction because of helping people.

“It was challenging at first but I do like it now,” Pavelco said.

The yoga classes benefit both the participants and Pavelco.

“It forces you to do something every day,” she explained. “It centers you and gives you that mental uplift. It’s a great way to grow your spirit and your character.”

Providing a mental uplift and support for health workers is critical for Alice Nass-Yepsen, one of four teachers offering mindfulness classes through Lehigh Valley Health Network.

“LVHN is reaching out to all employees and we’ve just completed our first week,” Nass-Yepsen said, during the interview a few weeks ago. “Our plan is to then go to first responders and invite them, too.”

Hospital workers have been the first line of defense in fighting COVID-19.

“Many hospital employees are making decisions they never had to make before,” Nass-Yepsen said. “For all of us, life has become uncertain in a way that none of us are accustomed to living nor could we have imagined.”

Nass-Yepsen said that by practicing mindfulness, they learn to put their attention where they want it to go.

“Even practicing mindfulness just a few minutes a day teaches us to pause, to relax, to open, to listen deeply,” Nass-Yepsen said. Everyone is experiencing a range of feelings during these times.

“We are all living in challenging times and it’s perfectly normal to feel stressed, anxious, overwhelmed, and scared,” explained Nass-Yepsen, who worked as a school counselor at Northwestern for 23 years. “Through simple mindful awareness practices, we all can learn to respond in more adaptive ways to stressful situations while becoming less reactive.

“This allows us greater resilience from adversity and also quicker recovery.”

“While only hospital employees are permitted to attend ‘Mindfulness on the Spot,’ anyone in the public is invited to take the Mindfulness-Based Stress reduction coursework through LVHN,” Nass-Yepsen said.