At the beginning of the COVID-19, Masks of Love WNC entered the fray in a frenzy of fabric, contracting with private sewers to make washable, reusable cotton masks with filter pockets for those who need them. (Halcyon 600 surgical wrap filters “dramatically increase” filtration levels.) The business donates one mask for every mask purchased; benefitting groups have included Umoja Health, Wellness and Justice Collective; the Migrant Education Program in Buncombe and Henderson counties; Homeward Bound; BeLoved Asheville; Asheville City Schools Resources Center; and more.
What looked like a temporary initiative has now grown into a small business that employs local sewers and other staff. To date, Masks of Love has produced almost 7,000 masks.
MOL also recognizes the season’s other crucial issue — the local and national protests for racial justice following the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police on May 25. Proceeds from their new Black Lives Matter mask go toward the National Bail Out project. “We simply felt like we had to do something more. … Covid-19 has been devastating to the African American community — we care about that,” Masks of Love CEO Casey McCully said in a press statement.
For more information, see masksoflove.org.