Daily dose of sweetness: Volunteers give away hundreds of homemade masks in Minneapolis

A boy pulls cloth masks out of a bag.
King Demetrius Pendleton Jr. pulls a mask out of a bag to give to Charmaine Williams in the parking lot of Cub Foods in north Minneapolis on Saturday. Pendleton and other volunteers passed out more than 370 donated masks in less than an hour.
Evan Frost | MPR News

Volunteers gathered in north Minneapolis on Saturday to give away hundreds of cloth masks along with bottles of hand sanitizer.

The more-than-370 donated, homemade masks were distributed in less than an hour at the Cub Foods parking lot on West Broadway, to anyone who needed one amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The masks were accompanied by sanitizer from 11 Wells Spirits in St. Paul, which has been making — and giving away — hand sanitizer for several weeks.

Minneapolis attorney and community leader Nekima Levy Armstrong organized the giveaway and spread the word on Facebook. It's the second giveaway the volunteers have held -- and they plan to do more.

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After being given a mask Saturday by Pastor Brian Herron, Cassandra Lewis-Elkarim said, "I'm blessed. I got a mask and I don't have corona."

From acts of kindness and sweet gestures to inspirational signs, these are some of the ways Minnesotans are lifting one another during the coronavirus pandemic.

Discover something that brightens your day? We may include it here. Email it to nyang@mpr.org.