Ford Motor Company is teaming up with local nonprofits to distribute nearly 550,000 face masks to residents throughout the state Thursday, according to the auto company.
The Thursday event is part of a regional initiative that will also deliver hundreds of thousands of masks to neighborhoods in Oregon, Alaska, Idaho and Montana, said Ford spokesperson Kristin Ford. In our state, masks will be available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at food-assistance nonprofit Emergency Feeding Program in Renton (851 Houser Way N., Suite A) and at 19 Ford dealerships throughout Washington including Everett, Issaquah, Kirkland, Tacoma, Olympia and Spokane. Click here for a full list.
While Ford has organized similar mask distribution events in other states, this is the first in the Pacific Northwest, Ford said. Residents are encouraged to stop by any of the distribution sites — many of which have drive-thru options — to get up to 20 disposable face masks while supplies last, she added.
Since August, Ford and its philanthropic arm, Ford Fund, have delivered tens of millions of pieces of PPE — including face masks, face shields, patient ventilators, washable isolation gowns and air-purifying respirators — to nonprofits, state and local officials, first responders, schools and community groups throughout the country, according to a statement from the auto company.
It’s hoping to hit a goal of producing 100 million medical-grade masks and donating them to at-risk communities by mid-2021.