Adele Carlson had been trying to think of some way to give back to the community.

She grew up in town and attended the local schools, and both her daughters did the same. Now her three grandchildren are students in Barrington schools.

That connection to the public schools served as a driving force behind the donation Ms. Carlson and her husband Gerald made earlier this month — the Carlsons purchased 10 air purifiers and dropped them off at the school administration building.

Within the day, Barrington Superintendent of Schools Michael Messore had deployed some of the units to classrooms in the district. He shared that news with members of the Barrington School Committee at their meeting on Thursday, Sept. 10. Mr. Messore publicly thanked the Carlsons for their gift to the school district, adding that the air purifier units donated were the same models that the school department had purchased. He said the air purifiers are being used in rooms that have air conditioning and therefore the windows are kept closed.

"I want to thank them very much," he said. "It's a real generous gift."

The school committee quickly voted 5-0 to accept the donation.

Ms. Carlson said she was very happy to hear that the district was pleased with the donation.

Earlier in the year, Mr. Carlson had purchased air purifiers for his office and also given some to one of his daughters who owns salons. The air purifiers had made a real difference, said Mr. Carlson.

Ms. Carlson said she loves her hometown and has made many wonderful memories in Barrington. She and her husband recently moved just over the town line to a neighborhood called Hampden Cove in Swansea, but she still spends much of her time in Barrington.

She said her grandchildren were very excited about returning to school this month, and she was happy that her donation will help improve the air quality at some of the schools.

"I know they're really trying hard," she said, referring to the district's efforts to reopen the school buildings.

Ms. Carlson also said the superintendent was very thankful when she and her husband dropped off the air purifiers.

"He was so appreciative," she said. "He's such a nice man."

Ms. Carlson said she and her husband told Mr. Messore to just let them know if they needed any more air purifiers in the future.

"We just want to give back to the community," she said.