NEWS RELEASE
UNITED WAY CENTRAIDE NORTH EAST ONTARIO
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For many people in our community, getting a face mask is not as easy as it sounds. Through the Local Love in a Global Crisis Community Response Fund, United Way Centraide North East Ontario/Nord-est de l'Ontario (UWCNEO) has begun distributing nearly 7,000 free, reusable masks to vulnerable people in the Cochrane District through the ‘Mask Task’ initiative.
"Our goal is to ensure that people who need masks be equipped to protect themselves and those around them," says Jennifer Gorman, regional manager with UWCNEO. “To date, approximately 80 per cent of the 7,000 masks that we have available in our district have been distributed to frontline organizations and those masks will soon be in the hands of people who really need them.”
The ‘Mask Task’ initiative, a collaboration between the Porcupine Health Unit and UWCNEO, began in late July.
“We knew the number of reusable masks that we would have available would be limited. It was important for us to work with our local health experts to identify priority populations and develop strategies to disperse the masks safely. Several organizations now have masks with more deliveries taking place in the coming days and weeks,” added Gorman.
"To help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our communities, it is important that everyone has access to a mask," said Dr. Lianne Catton, the Porcupine Health Unit's medical officer of health and chief executive officer. "This initiative means that masks will be available to the most vulnerable members of our communities. We are extremely grateful to the United Way for the leadership they have taken in this project."
Dr. Catton noted that since the Government of Ontario announced the Mandatory Mask Mandate on Oct. 2, "face masks are required in indoor public spaces as well as indoor and outdoors anytime you are with people from outside of your immediate household and cannot maintain two metres of distance."
Funding for this initiative is made possible through the Community Response Fund, a regional initiative established to provide emergency grants to local charitable organizations helping to meet the basic needs of vulnerable individuals. To date, over $275,000 has been invested in 41 targeted programs across six districts.
If your organization is working with vulnerable populations and is in need of reusable masks, please contact Jennifer Gorman by emailing [email protected].
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