Waukegan company hands out 50,000 face masks and hands sanitizer

Editor's note: This story has been changed to correct information about the company's headquarters. Medline is headquartered in Northfield.

A large group of Medline employees volunteered to doled out 50,000 reusable face masks and hand sanitizer to a constant line of cars Saturday at the company's Waukegan distribution center.

As the long line of cars honked and drove away with bags of masks and sanitizer, the employee volunteers could be heard cheering them on.

"It's very important because we have deep roots in the community," said William Berger, Medline spokesman. "It's important to us to support the community that we live in."

The bags contained four reusable blue cloth masks made from the same material as medical scrubs, which has been tested to withstand up to 25 launderings.

Also included was a bottle of hand sanitizer and a message from the company.

Northfield-based Medline is the largest private employer in Waukegan.