Helping wherever possible.

When the team at Steele Canvas learned about protective mask shortages, they came up with a plan: Pivot from their usual business (manufacturing industrial-size canvas products, from laundry bins to tote bags) and find a way to contribute. We’ve partnered with them to help get the word out. These masks are now available for purchase here, both as a donation to medical facilities that are accepting cloth masks (as a supplement to, not a replacement for, medical-grade masks), and also for personal use. Cloth masks are one-size-fits-all, available in Adult and Child size. Due to health and safety reasons, all masks are non-returnable and final sale.

Buy 1 mask and Steele Canvas and Food52 will donate a second mask to medical facilities across the U.S.—or you can choose to buy 2 masks and together, we’ll donate both. They will be included in bulk donations made to hospitals and smaller medical providers. The first batch will go to the following facilities (places that Steele Canvas team members are personally connected to, and that also have listed their needs for mask donations on their websites):

  • Peconic Bay Medical Center (Riverhead, N.Y.)
  • University Hospitals (Shaker Heights, Ohio)
  • Lawrence General Hospital (Lawrence, Mass.)
  • Dartmouth Hitchcock (Lebanon, N.H.).
  • Cleveland Clinic Indian River Medical Center (Vero Beach, FL.).

If you’d like to purchase or donate in bulk for hospital use, please contact us at [email protected]

The majority of these masks will be made of 100% cotton denim with a flannel-lined interior, each side in a different shade so you can tell the front from the back at a glance (but please note, materials are subject to change according to availability). They are not a substitute for N95 or surgical-grade masks and they are not FDA approved.

This initiative is operating out of a family-run factory in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and it’s helping preserve the jobs of Steele Canvas’s almost-60 employees. To learn more about the project, check out this article.

Sales from these masks will go toward supporting our partner Steele Canvas; covering materials and shipping (both bulk shipments to hospitals and fulfilling individual orders); and helping pay members of the Food52 team, such as photographers and writers.

Though their guidelines continue to evolve, the Centers for Disease Control currently recommends using a basic, cloth mask when going outside to perform essential tasks. For the most up-to-date information, visit: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html