MASKS FOR MIGRANTS

Airborne Viruses Know No Borders.

We join fellow New Yorkers seeking to support the migrants new to our city, who are not receiving the support they need. Over 150,000 people have arrived in the last 18 months, and tens of thousands more have arrived in the last few weeks.

Our city administration has failed to provide sufficient support and allowed migrants' "right to shelter" to functionally end, leaving thousands without access to immediate shelter and housing.

Our effort, specifically, is to fill a public health safety gap, by distributing free high quality respirator masks to migrants, through community groups (like EV Loves NYC), and in donations to places they are being temporarily housed, including Floyd Bennett Field, Randall's Island tent shelters, and emergency shelters and food support spots throughout the five boroughs. The city government does not provide respirator masks to migrants, or any others, living in congregrate settings.

Why respirator masks? We are still in the midst of a surge of COVID-19 cases, where it's estimated over 50% are caused by asymptomatic cases. COVID-19, despite wider political and public perception, is still dangerous and disabling (even to the vaccinated), can cause longterm health issues such as Long COVID, and science continues to show the accumulative dangers of reinfection for the entire body. The current best defense against COVID and its effects is respirator masks like N95s.

We are a group of individuals supported by Mask Bloc NYC (@maskblocnyc) who have been distributing high-quality masks at demonstrations throughout the city for four months. Mask Bloc NYC is a disabled-led collective of NYers organizing to fight COVID-19 through mutual aid, political education, and direct action. The collective has distributed at least 12,000 masks to groups and individuals throughout the city over the last six months.

What's our goal?

We are trying to raise $1,000 to purchase a mix of kids and adult masks.

Milestones
- $100 covers 225 kids masks!
- $250 covers the above, plus 1,000 adult N95 masks!
- $500 covers 2,500 masks!
- $750 covers 3,750 masks!

Because each mask can only be used for so long, especially in wet outdoor conditions for those who do not have continuous housing, this amount of masks is a short term solution to the systemic problem of mistreatment of migrants in our city during a pandemic. Thank you for any support you're able to give this current effort, and we hope you can support our ongoing work as well.

Masks for Migrants

Help us raise 1,000 dollars to buy 5,000 respirator masks for NYC's refugee population!

Team Members