The COVID-19 pandemic deepened food insecurity across the US, with Feeding America estimating that 45 million people, including 15 million children, could face hunger in 2020.
Against this backdrop, model and entrepreneur Olivia Culpo launched More Than a Mask in May 2020, selling fashion face coverings to raise funds for hunger relief. The initiative later funded more than 3 million meals through Feeding America, according to Culpo’s 2025 Rhode Island Heritage Hall of Fame profile.
How Olivia Culpo launched More Than a Mask
Back in 2020, Culpo celebrated her 28th birthday by announcing the launch of the initiative in partnership with Reunited Clothing.
She launched a line of non-surgical, non-medical masks whose sales would be used as charitable donations to various charities. The masks, available in animal prints, satin fabrics and even denim, were priced at $20 and could be purchased online at morethanamask.org.In May 2020, the month's sales benefited Feeding America, where each mask sold provided 100 meals to those in need. "Ever since our local health officials mandated mask-wearing, I thought to myself, how can I do something innovative while providing help to those around me Welcome to more than a mask! Did you know before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, 1 in 7 people in the U.S.
were struggling with hunger. Today, school closures mean that 22 million children who rely on school meals have an additional barrier to accessing food.
Our community needs us now more than ever. I created this organisation in hopes to get food access to those directly in need," she wrote in a post on Instagram at the time.
Partnership with Express
Later she collaborated with new styles in partnership with Express called #ExpressTogether.For every Express Together face covering sold, a donation of $10 was made to Feeding America through August 2020.
“I knew Express would be able to provide way more meals and we would enjoy working with each other as we did before,” Culpo said to WWD at the time. “When you see someone that’s wearing a face mask or a covering of any kind, you know they’re trying to do their part in some way.
What we should all be doing right now is coming together and doing the best that we can for everyone.”By 2021, Culpo's initiative was able to provide over 1.5 million meals.
“As soon as the pandemic hit, it was pretty much second nature for me to figure out something to do because I felt horrible. I felt guilty. I was depressed for others, but also felt really depressed because I knew how fortunate I was and that made me feel really bad. So I channelled that and really asked myself how I could make a difference,” she said to Modern Luxury in 2021.
Rather than letting the guilt remain, Culpo decided to turn it into a practical response to raise awareness and make impact.The initiative later expanded its charitable partnerships. More Than Mask collaborated with other charity organisations such as Colour of Change which is a racial justice organisation, and PERIOD, which eradicated period poverty and supports menstrual health awareness, to target other issues and help out those in need.
How her family influenced her philanthropy
In a 2021 interview with Shape, Culpo credited her parents for her passion for philanthropy.
"My mom and my dad always had such an open-door policy. They would take people in all the time," she said. "I remember my mom, ever since we were little, would 'adopt' families and we would buy all their Christmas presents. And we'll go to soup kitchens and we'll help serve the community. My parents made it second nature to me: If you have enough to give, you have to give it.
"Throughout her time in the limelight, Culpo has supported several charitable causes.
During her pageant years as Miss USA and Miss Universe, she advocated for breast cancer, ovarian cancer and AIDS/HIV awareness, and has continued working with amfAR to raise awareness and funds for AIDS research and prevention. She has also travelled to Guatemala with Pencils of Promise, where she visited schools and supported efforts to expand educational opportunities for children.
Culpo is also a global ambassador for Pencils of Promise and Best Buddies International, an organisation that promotes inclusion for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Best Buddies describes its mission as addressing the social, physical and economic isolation experienced by the estimated 200 million people worldwide with intellectual and developmental disabilities.