Ford Motor Co. has donated another 1 million masks to Kentucky to help ensure schoolchildren have access to face coverings, first lady Britainy Beshear announced.

The automaker’s donation comes as the delta variant increases COVID-19 infections among youngsters. A mask mandate is in effect in Kentucky’s K-12 schools.

“As students head into this new school year – which will undoubtedly be a challenge while we battle the delta variant – I cannot overstate how important this donation is for our state,” the first lady said Tuesday.

To ensure children have access to masks, the first lady and Lt. Gov. Jacqueline Coleman last year launched the “Coverings for Kids” initiative, which collected more than 1.8 million masks. The biggest contributor was Ford, which donated 1.5 million masks last year. The company also supplied 2 million masks to the state’s stockpile of personal protective equipment.

The first lady praised Ford for stepping up with its latest donation.