Ryan *Gill adding N95 masks to food distribution bags at Brightwood Park United Methodist Church*

by Austin Schott

When Ryan Gill gifted a pair of KN95 masks to two teenagers he befriended recently, he said one of them told him how he’d been looking for a N95 or KN95 but it hadn’t been able to find any.

That’s Gill’s modus operandi now: giving out N95s and KN95s.

Bloomberg Health recently reported that N95 masks have dramatically increased in price in recent weeks. And Insider warned recently that supply chain crunches, compounded by high demand, could delay shipments of these masks in the future.

Meanwhile, Gill is giving masks away for free to folks in need in Ward 4.

What started with two masks being offered to teens has now become a much larger effort to get masks into the hands — and on the faces — of those who need them.

Gill recently ordered 300 masks in bulk from a local supplier, the McConnell Group, and he’s selling them for low cost as a part of a fundraiser. For every ten-pack of masks Gill sells, he’s donating ten masks to Ward 4 Mutual Aid, a volunteer network that distributes goods across the ward. Gill is selling his masks to area residents for a $20 for a ten-pack.

Gill tells the story of how a mother and child lit up when they received a donated mask from Mutual Aid on January 15. “That’s the thing that made me smile most,” he said.

To help get things started, Gill leaned on a personal connection at McConnell Group who offered an opportunity to buy masks at wholesale price. Gill used his personal cash to buy the first tranche of masks, and announced a fundraiser on the Petworth listserv (a neighborhood email distribution list) sharing his plan to give away 10 masks for every 10 he sells. He sent the email on January 13th, and by January 15th he was sold out of masks. The demand was awe-striking. Gill has already returned to McConnell group for more masks so he can keep the fundraiser going.

Mutual Aid distributes household supplies, largely foodstuffs and diapers, to folks in the community twice a week, so Gill drops off the masks at the Brightwood Park United Methodist Church where the supplies are distributed.

*Charles Coyle wearing one of the N95 masks.*

Charles Coyle, a volunteer who attends United Methodist Church and helps Mutual Aid distribution, spoke about folks’ reactions to the masks. “Everybody was glad to get them,” he said. As soon as folks saw that they were including masks in the day’s bags, “everybody wanted to make sure they had one.” He told me the gratitude for the masks was evident. “Anytime you can help people like that, they appreciate it,” he said.

*Ryan (left) and Charles (right) at Brightwood Park United Methodist Church.*

Eddy Ameen, a Mutual Aid Supply Team Coordinator, relayed to me that Mutual Aid launched during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic to help deliver groceries to community members during the early lockdown. As interest has grown, they encourage most folks to come to distribution sites, like United Methodist Church, so they can reach as many individuals as possible (although they still offer delivery for those that need it). They now provide groceries and other supplies to roughly 240-270 families a week.

Ward 4 Mutual Aid is completely managed by volunteers and, as a hyper-local organization, it’s intent is to focus on the needs of the ward.

*Supplies stored at Brightwood Park United Methodist Church to support Mutual Aid.*

*Foodstuffs to be distributed via Mutual Aid*

*Diapers to be distributed through Mutual Aid*

Gill is a cancer survivor, and that life experience impacts his choices now. He told me that chemotherapy taught him to value his days, which in turn encouraged him to volunteer and motivated him to kickstart his fundraiser to support Mutual Aid.

“I own my days now,” he said. “I cherish my moments. So I do everything that I can do to help folks.”

“It isn’t a ‘Pay it Forward’ mentality,” Gill said. “It’s ‘do good because you can.’ It’s not ‘help others because you think it’s going to come back to you.’ No. Help because you have the ability to help someone else.”

You can support the fundraiser and receive a set of N95 masks by emailing Ryan Gill. Ryan says he is going to try to keep the fundraiser going as long as he has the ability to do it. He’s doing this all in his free time, using his personal money to cover the costs for masks — and demand for the masks is high.

How You Can Help Ward 4 Mutual Aid
Donate directly to Mutual Aid and sign up to volunteer. They could always use a helping hand.

The Mutual Aid volunteer onboarding team is hosting a call for interested volunteers on Tuesday, January 25, 2022 from 8-9pm. RSVP for the free event.

How Ward 4 Mutual Aid Can Help You
If you want to receive groceries and other food stuffs from Mutual Aid, visit the Brightwood Park United Methodist Church (744 Jefferson St. NW) on Wednesdays 5-6pm or Saturdays 12-2pm. Mutual Aid advertises there are “no questions asked, no strings attached.”