Masking up London schoolkids with quality face coverings is aim of new GoFundMe

#MaskUpLondonOnt, is using the donations to purchase pediatric N95-equivalent masks that will be packaged into kits and distributed in the city, prioritizing schools that have been hardest hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the GoFundMe.N95-type respirator masks offer better protection against COVID-19 and the highly transmissible Omicron variant compared to other face coverings, but as a result of overwhelming demand, they’re harder to obtain, and knockoffs proliferate online marketplaces.

They’re also more expensive than other options, resulting in both a time and a financial barrier for many families. More than 330 Ontario schools report absence rates of 30% or higher “We were really driven by our understanding of recent research that has demonstrated that individuals, families and communities who are systemically marginalized and underserved have really been the hardest hit during COVID-19,” said Mary Harrison, one of the campaign’s co-founders, in an interview Monday.“So to reduce strain on families who are already bearing the greatest burden of the pandemic, we saw an opportunity to crowdsource for funding in order to support our neighbours across the city in accessing these resources for their kids.”Harrison, a curriculum consultant at Fanshawe College, is one of four London parents involved in running the campaign alongside Andrea Legato, Mandy Penny, and Catherine Adams Sloan.

Since launching on Jan. 16, at least 51 donors have contributed to the initiative, raising $3,075 as of Monday afternoon.Today, my fam sat down to assemble 97 pediatric mask kits – each kit has 4 CA-95s and paper bags for rotation, as well as an info sheet.