Thanks to a connection from local grocer Tim Metcalfe, Boys and Girls Club of Dane County CEO Michael Johnson was able to score a large quantity of surgical masks and is already distributing them to Black churches and other community organizations.
Johnson received a donation of 10,000 masks from Metcalfe’s Markets co-owners Tim and Kevin Metcalfe. He is making those available free of charge to health care facilities and community centers. Additionally, anyone who works at a nursing home or assisted living facility can go to any Boys and Girls Club, show work ID and pick up 10 free masks.
Metcalfe as able to connect Johnson with a supplier to buy tens of thousands more masks in bulk. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.
The bulk purchase will allow Johnson to distribute masks to local churches and community centers, at least some of which will help cover the bulk purchase price.
“These are surgical,” Johnson said. “These are second best behind the N95” respirator masks used by health care professionals.
“We’re going to give them out to various churches that are part of the African American Council of Churches,” African American Council of Churches president Marcus Allen said. “We know a lot of people don’t have the means or the funds to buy their own masks. We want to provide those for our people when they’re going out or even when they come to church. Pretty soon churches might be allowed to open up, and it’ll make a lot of people more comfortable to have on masks.”
Johnson delivered 1,000 masks each to Allen and Lighthouse Church pastor Marcio Sierra on Monday afternoon, and intended to distribute more to the Lussier Community Education Center and other community centers in the coming days.
