Volunteers at five locations in Bridgeport are distributing 100,000 face masks to city residents.

Bridgeport purchased the masks from a vendor in New Jersey for the drive-thru-only distribution event.

Thousands of people showed up to get their masks at Central High School, Harding High School, Fairchild Wheeler High School, Bass Pro Shops and Seaside Park.

Terri Williams has a 15-year-old son with asthma and says taking home a 10-pack of hospital-grade PPE was an urgent priority.

"And it is serious because you don't know who has it and you want to be able to protect yourself and protect others," Williams says.

Mayor Joe Ganim is hopeful that this means residents will wear the masks when the state begins reopening in two weeks.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal says that Bridgeport is really setting a "model for the country."

Blumenthal says that the equipment was purchased with city funding but an application is pending for reimbursement with federal dollars.

City officials are reminding residents that masks can be reused as long as they are not ripped or soiled.