The Dispatch As part of America's Mask Challenge, United Way of Davidson County coordinated with HanesBrands Inc. to deliver 121,500 reusable cloth masks for 47 under-resourced schools in Davidson County during December and January to help slow the spread of COVID-19. The challenge was a new initiative from United Way, the Business Roundtable, a group of 182 CEOs from large American companies and the CDC Foundation. The challenge aimed to deliver 200 million washable face masks to 40 million students, teachers and staff in America’s most under-resourced schools, averaging about five washable masks per person. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cloth masks in schools can help slow the spread of the coronavirus, along with other mitigation strategies like hand-washing, social distancing and regular cleansing and disinfecting of frequently-touched surfaces, in schools and buses. The challenge, which launched on Dec. 9, was expediting mask delivery for the second half of the school year to help alleviate a mask shortage among students and staff.