Fresno furniture store gives out thousands of free face masks to community
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A steady stream of cars took up multiple lanes of the parking lot off of Blackstone near Barstow while crews worked inside the store packaging the masks to get ready for the giveaway.
The owner of Furniture City purchased 25,000 masks to help the community stay safe during the global health crisis.
"Right now we're living in very strange times," says Alex Serpas. "Cases are going up and people are getting more anxious and afraid, so we want to give them a peace of mind and let them know we have their back."
The giveaway comes just days before all essential employees in Fresno will be required to wear face coverings.
"With how difficult it is to get masks right now, this is such a wonderful idea," says Health care professional Wayne Campbell.
Campbell stopped by to pick up enough for the in-home nurses he works with. He would typically have to make multiple trips at various medical supply stores to come up with enough masks.
"I have to drive so many other places to purchase masks, I can't even tell you how great this is and how great of an idea this is for Furniture City to be handing out masks," Campbell said.
While the business remains closed during the shelter in place order, Furniture City also held a similar giveaway at its Bakersfield location Tuesday.
"We're not making any money off of this," Serpas said. "We're spending money to help out our community."
Management says this is not a one time thing. Depending on how long the shelter in place order lasts, they would like to continue giving back to the community with these types of events.
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