The Arkansas Arts & Fashion Forum has received generous grants from The Walmart Foundation and Arkansas Community Foundation to continue funding the production of medical masks for the Northwest Arkansas community. This initiative will allow AAFF to continue to donate masks to front line workers, first responders, and healthcare professionals. The gifts are dedicated to supporting the work of local seamstresses from diverse communities to produce high-quality cloth masks. This generous funding has given the organization enough capital to begin production on 7,000 cloth masks for the community. Partnering with students from AAFF’s educational programming, alongside professional sewists from Canopy NWA, the Arkansas Arts & Fashion Forum has established the first non-profit sewn goods workshop of its kind in Arkansas.

Arkansas Arts & Fashion Forum leadership will continue to work with organizations such as the Sewn Trades Collective, Urban Manufacturing Alliance,  and the Arkansas Maker’s Task Force, to stay up to date on best practices, material resources, and needs within the local community. To increase efficiency for this project, AAFF will purchase their own laser cutting device that will increase the production rate of the medical masks, allowing AAFF to assist more clinics and health professionals in need.  

Upon the reopening of the country cases of COVID-19 have spiked and are projected to continue to rise. The CDC is continuing the recommendation of universal mask wearing for all people who must interact in public. This includes a recommendation for the public at large, along with healthcare professionals, frontline workers, and first responders. The Arkansas Arts & Fashion Forum continues their efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 and flatten the curve through advocacy and promotion of mask use, as well as donations of masks to those in need.

For more information please Contact:

DJ Adams

Marketing Director

Arkansas Arts & Fashion Forum

dj@arkansasfashion.org

About AAFF: Arkansas Arts & Fashion Forum is a 501c3 Non-profit organization dedicated to educational programming and creative support in the mission of fostering the growth of the fashion industry in Arkansas.

Learn more about Arkansas Arts & Fashion Forum, the non-profit’s mission, and educational programming at www.arkansasfashion.org

Arkansas Community Foundation is a nonprofit organization that fosters smart giving to improve communities. The Community Foundation offers tools to help Arkansans protect, grow and direct their charitable dollars as they learn more about community needs. By making grants and sharing knowledge, the Community Foundation supports charitable programs that work for Arkansas and partners to create new initiatives that address the gaps.  Since 1976, the Community Foundation has provided more than $220 million in grants and partnered with thousands of Arkansans to help them improve our neighborhoods, our towns and our entire state. Contributions to the Community Foundation, its funds and any of its 29 affiliates are fully tax deductible.

About Philanthropy at Walmart Walmart.org represents the philanthropic efforts of Walmart and the Walmart Foundation: By leaning in where our business has unique strengths, we work to tackle key social issues and collaborate with others to spark long-lasting systemic change. Walmart has stores in 27 countries, employing more than 2 million associates and doing business with thousands of suppliers who, in turn, employ millions of people. Walmart.org is helping people live better by supporting programs that work to accelerate upward job mobility for frontline workers, address hunger and make healthier, more sustainably-grown food a reality, and build strong communities where Walmart operates. To learn more, visit www.walmart.org or find us on Twitter @walmartorg.