Malon James, an 11-year-old boy in Georgia who looks up to Dr. Anthony Fauci, has been distributing thousands of free reusable face masks to people in need.

James initiated his plan last year when he realized that some of his friends were relegated to flimsy disposable masks, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. The Gwinnett County, Georgia resident first talked to his mother about his idea, telling her that children need to have safe masks during the pandemic.

Monique James, who is the executive director of a nonprofit organization known as Don’t Count Me Out, then worked with her son to apply for funding from Gwinnett County. With the funding they received, the mother and son duo bought more than 13,000 masks directly from companies at a nonprofit rate.

As part of their Everyone Deserves A Mask campaign, Monique and her son handed out masks to students getting off school buses. They also partnered with agencies to give out masks at various events. In addition, the mother and son allowed residents to pick up masks at Gwinnett library branches, the Salvation Army and the Good Samaritan Health Centers of Gwinnett.

As he handed out the face coverings at a mobile home park, Malon wore a mask that says “Everyone deserves a mask.”

Posted by Malon E.D James on Wednesday, March 10, 2021

“Not everyone has reusable masks and all these disposable masks are not as reliable,” the child said. “I want to prevent people from getting the coronavirus and spreading it.”

According to the Gwinnett Daily Post, the county was leading the state in overall COVID-19 cases last year, with the numbers especially spiking during the holidays.

“COVID-19 has made me stop being selfish and concentrate on helping wherever I can. So I called on my mentors like Atlanta Judge Terrinee Gundy for ideas on how to best help others,” Malon told the Daily Post in December. “The state of Georgia is big and I’ll work hard until the coronavirus is over once and for all.”

Monique gives credit to Fauci, the nation's leading infectious disease expert, for inspiring her son.

“He loves Dr. Fauci and he knows there’s certain people who can’t help themselves,” she said.

Monique James

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