Special Delivery: Cloth Masks

When Johnson County put out the call for donated cloth masks, the community answered. And RideKC was able to lend a helping hand. 

On Thursday, a Johnson County RideKC bus driven by Paul Waters, First Transit operator, delivered more than 2,400 masks to MED-ACT. This special delivery included community-sewn masks, as well as donations of packages of surgical masks and N95 masks. 

“The response from the community has been amazing to see, and we’re very pleased to be able to play a small role in getting these supplies out to folks who need them,” said Josh Powers, Regional Transit Liaison between Johnson County Government and the Kansas City Area Transportation Authority (KCATA). “Our drivers and our MED-ACT officials are out on the front lines every day, and it’s great to be able to recognize these kinds of partnership opportunities and contribute to the fight against COVID-19.”  

Above: Josh Powers and Alyson Angel chat about the success of the ongoing mask drive in Johnson County.

The masks will be distributed next week to facilities throughout Johnson County, including care and nursing facilities. A portion of these masks are also being set aside by the MED-ACT ambulance service should they get to a point where their surgical masks are completely depleted, in accordance with CDC guidelines.

“COVID-19 is continuing to put a strain on the health care system,” said Dan Robeson, deputy director of Johnson County Emergency Management. “We have requested additional masks, but supply is short everywhere, and we must ensure health workers are safe as they serve those who are ill.” 

People can continue to donate masks: Johnson County is accepting donated cloth masks at 205 E. Flaming Rd., Olathe, the Johnson County MED-ACT station. Donations will be accepted in a basket from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. 

Below are cloth mask tips for donation to Johnson County. Other donation drives may have different requirements.  

• Only finished masks will be accepted. 
• Any “cloth surgical mask” patterns are fine. 
• Go for thick fabrics – cloth or denim are preferable. No stretchy materials please.  
• Elastic loops are preferred.   

More details are at jocogov.org.

To stay up-to-date on RideKC’s COVID-19 response, see this bulletin. 

Above: Special delivery from Paul Waters with RideKC in Johnson County. He bought thousands of donated masks to MED-ACT.