Boys & Girls Club to distribute 450,000 N95 masks throughout Wisconsin

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Boys & Girls Clubs around Wisconsin are coordinating with the Wisconsin Office of Emergency Management to distribute almost a half-million masks statewide, including to youth, the families they serve, partner organizations, and the general public.

"We are eager to utilize our infrastructure to help solve the state’s problems whenever we can. Clubs are safe spaces during out of school time, and so much more," said Christina Singh, Vice President of the Wisconsin Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs. 

Boys & Girls Club State Alliance Director Andy Gussert added, "We want to provide upgraded N 95 masks to employees, member families and community partners if they want them. We partner with the state on a myriad of issues, and are always willing to share our infrastructure to help solve the problems that face Wisconsin.”

Singh is CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of Sheboygan County, and her organization is coordinating distribution of over 27,000 masks in the Sheboygan County region. 

Going into the pandemic, Wisconsin clubs employed over 2200 staff and coordinated 9000 volunteers to provide afterschool support, food banks, PPE distribution and childcare for essential workers. Clubs also provided over 2 million meals and snacks at no cost to youth and their families during 2020. In some locations, club sites opened up testing centers, vaccination sites, and school overflow classrooms during COVID-19.

The state has already distributed 5.4 million pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) during 2022, working with community partners like the Boys & Girls Clubs. This includes the N95 and KN95 respirator masks, named for their ability to filter 95 percent or more of tiny 0.3-micrometre (μm) particles.