PENDLETON — What if everybody had the same face mask?

Pendleton High School student Chloe Taber asked that question to Pendleton High School biology teacher Stacy Hansen, before embarking on a project that would eventually create 1,000 identical masks for all of Pendleton High School’s students and staff.

Taber created the mask project as a way to encourage everyone to wear masks. If everybody had the same mask, she thought, they’d be more likely to wear it, not only because they’ll have the resource more readily available, but also no one would feel singled out or awkward about wearing masks at school. The masks will all be screen printed with “I (heart) my Bucks.”

“It’ll make it where everybody has the same mask,” Taber said. “It’s also for school spirit, too. Some people might think it’s embarrassing to wear one or it’s not cool, but having everyone have the same one might make some people feel better.”

John Taber said once his daughter came up with the idea, they brainstormed ways they could bring the mask project to life. That’s when they began contacting friends, family and community members to request donations. Taber said everyone has been really supportive of the project and has donated, including Altrusa International of Pendleton and the Pendleton Rotary Club.

Michael Williams, president of the Pendleton Rotary Club, said he felt it was important to support community projects, such as Taber’s, and after she reached out to the club, they were happy to help.

“We have a good strong club here in Pendleton and we like to be able to support community endeavors,” he said.

According to John Taber, they have raised enough funding to cover just over $2,000 of the roughly $3,500 project and they are hoping more donations will come through to cover the full cost of printing the masks ahead of the school year.

“The masks ended up being a little more expensive to print than we initially thought,” he said. “But we’ve been very fortunate with community support and donations.”

For the Taber family, the mask-making project has become a family affair with everyone chipping in to help out whenever possible.

“We’ve helped where we can and I’m very proud of her,” Terri Taber, Chloe Taber’s grandmother, said. “I hope she ends up getting all of the dollars she needs to pay for the mask, and if and when those kids go back to school, everyone will have one, including staff.”

Taber plans on handing out the masks before fall term begins for students and faculty to wear once school is back to holding in-person classes. Although changing rules surrounding face-to-face classes have made the timeline a little uncertain. Taber said ideally there would be some form of drive-thru supplies pickup before the school year where she could distribute masks.

If no such event exists, she said she would distribute masks to students when the school year eventually gets underway in person.

She said the mask project is really a community effort that would not have been possible without everyone’s support.

“We’re wearing masks because we care about others,” she said. “A lot of people have helped me and donated to me. Friends of friends, community members, family. It’s really cool to see people that actually care. It seems like the community actually cares.”

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East Oregonian reporter Ben Lonergan contributed to this report.