ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Throughout the pandemic, men and women have stepped up when their community needs it most. One local woman not only helped during the start of the pandemic, but now she’s making a huge impact helping counties in the race to vaccinate.

Anita diCianni-Brown is no stranger to helping out in big ways.

“I’m always a person that wants to help out whenever I can,” she said. “This was something so out of my norm — out of everybody’s norm — I felt I had to do something.”

A week into the pandemic, as everything shut down, she started sewing hundreds of face masks to give out to doctors and nurses.

“In the very beginning, it was, like, ‘Oh yeah, this is going to be a short-term thing — not lasting very long,'” she said. “Then reality set it.”

In the past year, Brown sewed more masks. Some were sold, and every penny was given to charities in need. This March, she found a new way to help.

“Being around people, it is just my continuous sign of hope we are coming out of this.”

Via the vaccine.

“Yesterday, I volunteered.”

Through ServNY, she’s volunteered at several vaccination sites, a huge undertaking as local counties race to get everyone the shot.

“I have worked the register, check people’s temperature, going through the list of questions. I’ve worked to make sure people are going where they need to go.”

She’s volunteered at clinics throughout Albany, Rensselaer and Schenectady Counties, each place filled with people looking past the pandemic.

“Yesterday, I volunteered in Albany. A woman has signed up. She got to the table and said she would be able to see her parents for the first time in 18 months.”

From providing masks to helping strangers roll up their sleeves, Brown is now vaccinated, too, and trying to help us all get back to normal.