Serena Williams helps donate 4.5 million face masks to underserved schools

Serena Williams is helping millions of children return to school safely this fall.

Williams partnered with eco-friendly T-shirt company Bella + Canvas to donate 4.25 million face masks to schools in the United States.

Williams to donate face masks, educational materials

Williams and Bella + Canvas are teaming up with the National School Board Association and Scholastic to provide the masks. They will go to underserved schools.

Districts are currently grappling with how schools will operate in the fall and if returning to in-person instruction is feasible during the COVID-19 pandemic. Masks will almost certainly be a requirement if learning isn’t done completely online.

“I'm grateful to be able to help educate our schools about this resource, and to be given the opportunity to serve so many students,” Williams wrote on her Instagram post.

Ways to add to Williams’ donation

Bella + Canvas is working to get “breathable, comfortable” masks to as many children and schools as possible. They are offering program discounts and Williams has added to the donation.

In the Instagram post on her account, she said a mask will be donated for each one purchased by the schools. And her company, Serena, will donate 500 masks for every purchase made at its site through August.

The 23-time Grand Slam champion is preparing for the U.S. Open that begins in New York City late next month. There will be no fans at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and strict guidelines will be put in place by the USTA. One more Grand Slam victory will place Williams in a tie with Margaret Court for most all-time. Her last victory was at the 2017 Australian Open while pregnant with her daughter, Olympia.

Serena Williams in a black jacket sits in a chair in front of a window in the city.
Serena Williams is donating 4.5 million mask to underserved schools. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

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