The quick summary – our project is part of a crowdfund appeal with a 100% match. Every dollar you contribute is immediately matched, thanks to the Elsie H. Hillman Foundation support of Pittsburgh based COVID-19 projects. Please go donate right now and come back to read the post.
This project has been funded by love from your neighbors, chipping in $5 and $10 each month to help pay the bills. There was no budget because a facemask drive and distribution was not a thing before March. We had no idea how much it would cost so we’ve been scraping by as we went.
But expenses came quickly. Postage, supplies, oh-so-many plastic and paper bags. Labels. Fabric, nose pieces, and more.
We have wonderful volunteers who are essential to our success, but we can’t volunteer our way around mailing expenses or plastic bags. We have partnerships to generate some resources – Global Links, Pittsburgh Center for Creative Reuse, and private companies who donate things like envelopes and mailing tape.
But we have to be prepared. In July alone, we distributed 1100 masks. Masks average $10 each not including shipping.So that’s roughly $11,000 per month. And we anticipate 1500 masks for August. These are retail prices, but it is useful information to give you perspective on the true costs of this project.
The reality is that not everyone can walk into Target and spend $10 per family member on face masks. For some people, there is no nearby Target. For some, $10 has to put gas in the car or be spent on groceries or toward rent.
If we can raise the full $5000 and get the match, we should be well positioned for the rest off 2020. Our plan was to continue through 2020. Obviously, that’s bound to be extended.
Will you join us in the fight with COVID-19? Will you support your trans and queer (LGBTQIA) neighbors?
So here’s the link for the matching donation: http://ioby.com/masque
We do have Venmo, Ca$hApp, etc but they do not give us the match. However if that is best for you – that’s cool.
Donate via Paypal http::/paypal.me/Pghlesbian * Donate via Venmo http://venmo.com/Pghlesbian
Donate via Cash App $pghlesbian * Donate via Zelle sitnscoop@gmail.com
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