Hanes generously donates 1 million masks to the homeless to help them access essential businesses

Hanes is reiterating the importance of wearing a face mask in public with the launch of its #MaskAround campaign which encourages Americans to share how they embrace the usage of masks in their daily life. Aside from attempting to normalize the use of proper face-covering during the pandemic, the brand also announced that it is donating one million masks to those experiencing homelessness across the country. It will do so with the help of nonprofit organizations supporting the homeless across all 50 states, including COVID-19 hotspots in Los Angeles, Miami, and Houston.

"Hanes is leveraging its relationships with nonprofit agencies built through the Hanes National Sock Drive to help those experiencing homelessness gain access to masks," the brand said in a press release. Hanes has launched the initiative in collaboration with its long-standing partner Mark Horvath—the founder of Invisible People, a nonprofit dedicated to educating the public about homelessness—who explained in the significance of the move in a statement released earlier this week. "Homeless people face even more limited avenues for support during the COVID-19 pandemic," said Horvath.

"Hanes continues to make a significant difference through its longstanding commitment to this nation’s often invisible population. This program is critical to driving the importance of having and wearing face coverings whenever social distancing cannot be practiced," he added. Since 2009, Hanes has donated over three million pairs of socks and other critical basic apparel including underwear, T-shirts, and bras to shelters and support organizations nationwide, and turned its attention toward mask production with the onslaught of the pandemic earlier this year.

The brand announced in April that it will manufacture over 320 million cotton washable and reusable masks for the U.S. Health and Human Services Department. Now, with the #MaskAround campaign, Hanes furthering the national effort to slow the spread of COVID-19 by challenging followers to embrace face masks and encourage others to do the same. Since March, we at Hanes have been united in our mission to do what we can to help slow the spread of COVID-19. As the pandemic took hold, we mobilized our manufacturing, shifting priorities from apparel to cloth face masks, which were swiftly shared across America, it said in an Instagram post announcing the campaign.

We remain committed to doing what we can to help. To ensure that those in need have access to face masks, Hanes is proud to announce a donation of 1 million masks to nonprofit organizations supporting those experiencing homelessness across our country. You can help us achieve our mission! Show us how you #MaskAround by sharing how you embrace your mask while living your life, thus encouraging others to do the same. Over the next few weeks, we’ll use our page to spotlight both our partner nonprofit organizations and those in our community who are committed, like us, to help stop the spread.

"We want to do our part to support the country's effort to slow the spread of COVID-19," said Sidney Falken, Chief Branding Officer at Hanes. "Hanes is proud to be able to offer affordable and comfortable cotton face masks to consumers and our goal is to raise awareness around the importance of wearing them to help keep each other safe and healthy." The brand launched its first line of washable and reusable face masks in June. "Hanes face masks, available in a selection of multi-pack quantities, colors, and sizes, feature the brand’s signature breathability and comfort -- ideal for the summer heat. The brand will launch additional face mask options in the coming weeks, including a children’s face mask line in time for the fall season," it said.