EDMONTON -- Edmonton's Food Bank is partnering with Give A Mask to make sure Edmontonians in need have access to personal protective equipment during the pandemic.

For every mask or t-shirt purchased locally, GiveAMask.ca will donate a mask to Edmonton's Food Bank.

The donated masks will be shared with clients and volunteers.

"Of course feeding people is essential but making sure people are safe, having the hand sanitizer, having the masks for people," Tamisan Bencz-Knight told CTV News Edmonton. "It's amazing."

Face masks are currently mandatory in Alberta in indoor spaces.

For families who are struggling financially, masks can be unaffordable.

Benz-Knight said there have been instances where families have been forced to share a mask over and over again.

GiveAMask.ca is helping vulnerable people across the country, partnering with Canadian manufacturers and local charities to distribute the masks.

“We’re all really excited about being able to get vaccines, but we know that we’re still several months away from being mask-free,” co-founder Paruksheen Dhunjisha said in a written release. “During that time there are still people who need masks, who have to go to work or send their kids to school, and need reusable masks to be able to do that safely."

Edmonton's Food Bank has also distributed thousands of disposable masks to individuals and families, provided by the provincial government and individual donors.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Darcy Seaton