Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office is distributing 150,000 Ford Motor Company face masks to 30 public and private school districts within the county this week. The effort is part of Ford’s #FinishStrong initiative which encourages Americans to come together, protect each other and help save lives until COVID-19 vaccines become more widely distributed. The Sheriff’s Office knows the importance of keeping our students in school and the struggle our local school districts face to obtain the necessary supplies to do so. Ford, in partnership with the UAW and its philanthropic arm, the Ford Motor Company Fund, has committed to donating 120 million American-made masks to communities with limited access to personal protective commitment by mid-2021. Since August, Ford and Ford Fund have distributed 98 million free masks to schools, nonprofits, state and local officials, first responders and Ford dealers in all 50 states. Since 2007, the Sheriff’s Office has been collaborating with Ford Fund when they presented their Ford Driving Skills for Life program to assist in educating teens about safe driving and partnering with the Tazewell Teen Initiative. Ford Fund has continued to assist the Tazewell County Sheriff’s Office by providing grants that allow teen safe driving education to expand throughout the county.

Find out more, or check on masks in Tazwell County contact Deputy Sheriff John Shallenberger