Volunteer Memphis is giving away 20,000 masks during the Free Masks Mid-South program from November 17 to December 22. Volunteers will join with the Mid-South Food Bank to hand out the masks at sites across the Mid-South.
Organizers from Volunteer Memphis and the Mid-South Food Bank will host 16 different giveaways in four Mid-South counties over the span of the program. Anyone can pick up a free mask at the giveaways, but those that want food must register at the Mid-South Food Bank’s website https://www.midsouthfoodbank.org/.
Volunteer Memphis created Free Masks Mid-South after earning a grant from the Tennessee Community CARES Program. The funding was awarded to nonprofits that could help provide aid for the COVID-19 pandemic and work to flatten the curve.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that wearing a mask is proven to slow the spread of COVID-19. Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland and Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris issued a mask mandate that is still in effect on November 30, 2020.