MVI sponsoring mask sale to benefit Salvation Army
By the Mon Valley Independent
The Mon Valley Independent will take part in a fundraiser to sell face masks while helping the community amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Face masks made with copper-infused material will be on sale beginning today. The Mon Valley’s local news source will be selling these masks for $15 with proceeds benefiting the Salvation Army’s Mon Valley Citadel in Monessen.
Masks can be purchased using an order form included in today’s edition of the MVI. Order forms will also be available at the Salvation Army’s Mon Valley Citadel, and orders can be made by calling the Mon Valley Independent at 724-314-0030 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Orders will not be taken in person as our Monessen office is currently closed to the public due to social distancing guidelines.
Gov. Tom Wolf ordered this week that businesses with commercial buildings that serve the public will be required to make sure customers wear masks — and deny entry to anyone who refuses.
Employees will also have to wear face coverings, including those who work in warehouses, manufacturing facilities and other places that remain in business but are not open to the public.
“We at the Mon Valley Independent want our customers and staff to be safe during these trying times,” newspaper officials said. “To help support our local Salvation Army, we are having a face-mask fundraiser to help them help our local communities.”
Capt. Sue Thwaite from the Mon Valley Citadel said the Salvation Army is feeding children in Monessen who would have qualified for free lunches in school. In an effort not to pull kids outside, the SA has condensed its feeding and has been handing out three meals for the week on Wednesday evenings.
“They’re spending a lot of money every week feeding all of these kids,” newspaper officials said. “We thought it would be a good idea to raise some money to pay for that.”
Thwaite added the SA started a new program Thursday known as “Operation Barbeque.” Through this program, the local Salvation Army is getting around 750 meals per week to hand out to residents. The meals are pre-cooked and feed a family of four, she said, adding that the first distribution was held Thursday in Donora.
“We’re trying to get into our service areas to help everyone with food,” Thwaite said.
Money raised through the face mask fundraiser will help the Mon Valley Citadel continue to secure the food it needs to serve the community. It will also help in its efforts to provide guidance to those who have been laid off or directly affected by the current pandemic.
“We want to help them with a little bit of assistance toward their utility bills or some kind of financial assistance,” she said. “We’re better together. The community has to come together and we’re better when we’re all working together.”
Thwaite said if people are interested in purchasing masks and donating them to residents in high rises in Monessen who do not have masks, the Mon Valley Citadel will work to get those masks to those most at risk in those high rises.
According to recent studies, copper-imbued fibers could be helpful in the fight to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
A recent clinical study indicated copper is more productive than other common materials in preventing the spread of infectious diseases, according to a March 20 article published on Cleveland.com. The MVI is working with a private manufacturer of copper-infused fabric and using the fabric to create the masks. Local seamstresses have been hired to produce them.
Masks are currently being made and orders will be filled as soon as possible. Items will be shipped to customers.
MVI officials said they hope more people utilize face masks so asymptomatic people do not pass the virus along to others.
Gov. Wolf ordered people to wear masks in public to stop the spread of the illness and to stay home as much as possible.
The order form to purchase the masks appears in today’s edition on Page B5.
