START YOUR OWN MASK
MAILBOX
If you are ready to start a box of your own, we are here to help you!
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We have patterns, mask station materials, and examples of social media posts to share. That being said, every community is different, and you should make your box your own as you see fit.
JOIN THE PROJECT
Masks are…contentious sometimes. This is a chance to help everyone, including those struggling with the concept of wearing them at all.
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We are very intentional about leaving anything political out of our verbiage. Our informational materials are strictly about the masks themselves and about the project. We encourage the community nature of mask giving and wearing and thank participants for doing their part. This approach seems to be working.
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It's important to remember that people will need and use your masks for a variety of reasons. We had a BIG surge in demand when masks became mandatory at Walmart, and an even bigger surge when they became mandatory in our state. That meant that a lot of people using the box weren't wearing them voluntarily. We always aim to position ourselves as community partners rather than regulators.
MAKING PEOPLE FEEL WELCOME
When we first started this project, we tried just giving away masks for free. It didn't work because people wanted to donate, and they left money in all kinds of funny places. We added a donation bag to the board to make things easier.
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It's up to you and your mask team how you want to split the donations. Different team members might want to take donations differently. Find something that works for your group.
A NOTE ABOUT DONATIONS
THE GOOD STUFF
Making Masks
If you've got a mask mailbox, you're gonna need some masks. Here is what we do.
Mask Station Materials
As our neighbors started asking questions, we started generating some materials to answer them. We use these to decorate our mask station and make things look cohesive and fun.
Spreading the Word
Here are some examples of posts we have shared with our community Facebook group. Feel free to use what inspires you.
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
One of the biggest challenges I had in starting this box was keeping myself from being overwhelmed by the need for masks.
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If you need help—ask for it! Every time I did, members of my community came forward and made masks or donated materials. Whatever I needed, I got.
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If you don't have the help you need and you can't keep up with demand, that's ok too! There were times at the beginning when I was out of stock and put a signup sheet at the mask station where people were able to request what they needed. I didn't have to worry about turning people away and knew what I needed to do to catch up.
The work is important, but you can't do it without making it sustainable for you.
CAN WE SEE YOUR BOX?
It would be absolutely thrilling to see this project proliferate. We are just a small group of mask makers, and we can only make so many masks ourselves.
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If you set up a box, please let us know! We can't wait to see it, hear how it's going, and get some feedback.
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