The Boys and Girls Club of Dane County (BGCDC) has ordered 200,000 N95 and KN95 masks for Dane County teachers and other school staff, child care workers as well as students and families who can’t afford the masks, which can cost several dollars each.
The BGCDC has already distributed about two millions cloth masks over the course of the pandemic – 500,000 to Madison schools alone — most donated by corporations like Boomer Naturals and Ford Motors.
BGCDC CEO Michael Johnson said he recognized the renewed need for more and higher-quality masks now, as children return to school amid the rampant spread of the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus.
In a Facebook post Saturday, Johnson said the organization had ordered the 200,000 masks for about a dollar each, and they would begin arriving this week. He also said the BGCDC needs the community to step up to help cover the cost. If donors aren’t able to contribute about $200,000 over the next week or so, the manufacturer has agreed to allow some of the masks to be returned for a refund. While that provision mitigates the risk for the BGCDC, it would mean fewer masks for teachers and families.
A few hours into the campaign, $680 of the $210,000 goal had been raised. You can donate at https://www.gofundme.com/f/dane-county-mask-fund.
Johnson said the club is beginning the process to plan the distribution, but anyone who needs masks should email [email protected].
