To combat the COVID-19 pandemic, Orlando City have donated club gear to help the Million Mask Challenge create crucial supplies that’ll help keep the Central Florida community safe.
The challenge is a Central Florida grassroots campaign that started in Orlando, all to create and distribute at least one million masks. Every mask Orlando creates will go directly to club partner Orlando Health.
“We are honored to be able to contribute materials to the Orlando community to help battle this pandemic,” said Orlando City CEO Alex Leitao. “Since we are unable to wear our jerseys on the field and t-shirts in the stands, we are happy we are able to put our gear to even more important use in order to help protect our local members and healthcare workers. We are continuously proud to be part of this community and to bring Orlando City from the sidelines to the frontlines.”
Orlando, along with NWSL club Orlando Pride, are donating about 1,000 apparel items including jerseys and t-shirts that otherwise would've been sold to supporters and other consumers.
The donation will help create approximately 5,000 total masks, with 20-30 locals creating the masks themselves. It’s not a factory operation, but rather work that's completed from homes in the Orlando area. The initiative arose after seeing a need that club partner Orlando Health and the broader community had.
The masks, according to a club spokesperson, will mostly be blank and features Orlando’s colors, since screen-printed parts, such as the club's logo, can restrict airflow.
