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Date: 2/1/2022
EASTHAMPTON – The response to the effort by the owners of Comics N’More at 64 Cottage St. to distribute KN95 masks free of charge was so successful they want to continue the effort.
The comic book shop handed out masks as part of its “Mask Up Project” on Jan. 22 and are now soliciting funds to buy more masks to continue the effort.
The shop bought 1,000 masks and donated many of them to the Easthampton Community Center.
Christian W. Z. Reader, co-owner of the shop, explained that he and co-owner Phoebe Zax had heard of the idea of handing out masks from a similar effort at Firestorm Books in Asheville, NC.
“We were struck by the thoughtfulness and effectiveness of the action,” Reader told Reminder Publishing.
They ordered the masks in December 2021 and Reader said they were surprised just how quickly the order came. People were given two masks and a postcard with a QR code to the comic book shop’s website.
They had a station in the parking lot behind the store to distribute the masks.
With the day’s success, Zax and Reader started a GoFundme page to raise $1,700 to buy more mask. As of Jan. 27, they had surpassed that goal.
They wrote, “The need is still great, and we need your support. Our city, our region is calling out for masks, and we aim to get masks into as many folks’ hands. The Mask Up! project is about solidarity with the working class and the disabled. The immunocompromised must be protected and that means we all gotta do our part. We started the project commissioning pro-masking posters to encourage and model mask use. We have never sold or distributed those posters. Before the surge we had been making masks available at both of our entrances – because of the surge we understand more must be done.”
The funding will be used to buy 2,000 more masks.
They wrote on Facebook, “The generous support from our community is, for us, both humbling and inspiring. We’re so grateful for y’all stepping up and coming to where we are, trying to help this community. Thank you.”