Red Bank Business Donates $1000 In Face Masks To Local Students

RED BANK, NJ - Thanks to Red Bank-based artist David Halbout, dozens of Red Bank students are now staying safe and sporting their school pride with custom face masks.

The donation value was $1,000, with 50 masks for students and 10 masks for teachers. The masks were custom made to fit with the school district’s signature red-and-black color scheme.

“The masks are meant for the kids with special needs, as it has the adjustable elastic around the head feature, which makes it easy to adjust to any head size and easy to keep on,” Halbout told Patch. “For the teachers, there were two types: adjustable around the head and a built-in lanyard with adjustable ear loops.”

How lucky are we @rbpsEAGLES @frenchfixllc donated these amazing masks! School colors and all! #RBBisBIA @DreamBigRB @RedBankSup @RedBankPreK #generosity @redbankgreen pic.twitter.com/4RbgWoX7xw
— Nurse Reardon (@NurseReardon) January 18, 2021

In December, Halbout previously donated 60 masks to Leonardo school in Middletown just in time for the holidays.

“Those masks [had] the built-in lanyard with adjustable ear loops,” Halbout said. “I was inspired to create this type of mask after witnessing a neighborhood kid dropping his mask in a puddle while running to catch the bus. Even though there are some lanyards out there, they often break and are not as durable.”

Crafts have always come easy to Halbout, whose work was recently featured at the Atlantic Highlands Arts Council.

“I grew up in France, where boys and girls go through the same home economics and shop curriculum: we all learn to use a hammer and learn sewing, macramé, and cooking. I was good at so-called "girly" crafts and that is what helped me to create these unique attachments,” Halbout said.

Halbout and his business partner Nathalie d'Iris formed French Fix, a textile and furniture shop based in Red Bank. Halbout also teaches woodworking at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.

To browse the French Fix online store, click here.