Sew lucky: Oregon woman wins $126K Keno jackpot with money earned making masks

SALEM, Ore. — An Oregon woman decided to sew some face coverings for her fellow employees. When they gave her money for them, she decided to play a Keno-8 spot ticket.

>> Coronavirus: California hospital employees receive $1M from anonymous donor

Lorna Hewitt has never been so lucky. She won $126,784.70 in the Oregon Lottery game and claimed her prize Tuesday, lottery officials said in a news release.

The winnings came at a good time for Hewitt, who was working part time at a grocery store in Sisters after being laid off from her job as a waitress because of the coronavirus pandemic.

>> Coronavirus: Oregon family featured on ‘Deadliest Catch,’ Pacific Seafood donate 30K pounds of fish

“I don’t play a lot, but thought I was doing something to help, maybe I would win,” Hewitt, of Sisters, told lottery officials.

After taking a job at the grocery store, Hewitt said she got the idea to make masks. Her coworkers liked the idea.

>> Coronavirus checklist: 100-plus disinfectants that may kill coronavirus on surfaces

“They liked them so much, they started giving me some money for them,” Hewitt said. “So, I started selling them, because my boss couldn’t order any more, there was a shortage.”

>> Coronavirus symptoms: What you need to know

So, she made the masks and then made a small investment in the Keno 8-spot game. But when she won, Hewitt said she felt a little guilty.

“I was making the masks with fabric I already had, and I just happen to get in at a good time,” Hewitt told lottery officials.

>> Coronavirus: Know the facts directly from the CDC

After claiming her cash prize, Hewitt went to a fabric store in Salem to buy supplies for more masks.

“My masks are popular, and I want to keep making them – and maybe some other things,” Hewitt said.

>> Coronavirus: Can the government make you stay home if you are sick?

Cox Media Group