More than 150,000 FDA Approved Respirator Masks Have Been Donated
and are In Use by Healthcare Workers and First Responders
Additional 150,000 Respirator Masks to Be Distributed this Week
“It means the world to me to have this N95 mask on for my safety and for the safety of my family that I have to go home to and come back—I love my job, I just want to be protected.”
—Louisa Lombardi, critical care ICU nurse at St. Vincent’s Medical Center, Bridgeport
New Canaan Fire Department and Grace Farms Foundation work together to unload and distribute PPE supplies. In the feature photo, New Canaan Emergency Management unloads PPE for distribution to hospitals and first responders. © GFF
| WHAT | Grace Farms Alliance Against COVID-19 has distributed more than 150,000 N95 respirator masks—30,000 more than announced on April 2—and is poised to deliver an additional 150,000 to the front lines, including Connecticut hospitals, COVID-19 clinics and testing sites, first responders and skilled nursing facilities in local towns this week. An additional 50,000 pieces of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), including surgical and disposable masks, coveralls, and goggles have also been delivered and are currently in use statewide. Despite the Alliance’s efficient supply chain infrastructure and large deliveries, significantly more PPE is required to fill the gap to protect front-line healthcare workers. Over the weekend, the $2.5M Grace Farms Relief Fund for Connecticut received an additional $80K in funding from individuals and organizations across the state, and an in-kind donation from Ningxia Foundation of more than nearly 40,000 PPEs, including isolation coveralls and certified respirators. In the coming weeks, more than 295,000 N95 respirator masks, 180,000 face shields and 26,000 coveralls will arrive. Distribution has focused on the epicenter of the virus (Fairfield and New Haven counties) in the state of Connecticut and will expand outward as demand is addressed. View full list of partners and recipients. | |||
| THE NEED | According to emergency responders in the state, the nearly 1 million pieces of PPE now procured by the Grace Farms Alliance will not be enough to meet the urgent demand. Since publicly announcing the Relief Fund for Connecticut on April 2, the Alliance has been fielding daily real-time requests from healthcare workers in dire situations. The PPE donated by Grace Farms Foundation is being distributed by New Canaan Fire Company #1. | |||
| HOW TO HELP | Grace Farms Foundation is actively seeking additional philanthropic support to ensure the Relief Fund continues to fill the need for PPE throughout the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. Support the Fund and learn about Grace Farms Foundation’s efforts. | |||
| MEDIA ASSETS | Video testimonial from Louisa Lombardi, critical care ICU nurse at St. Vincent’s Medical Center, Bridgeport. | |||
| MORE INFO | On April 2, 2020 Grace Farms Foundation announced a $2.5M Grace Farms Relief Fund for Connecticut and the Grace Farms Alliance Against COVID-19to help address the scarcity of PPE for health care workers in hospitals and municipalities across the state. The Foundation is using its knowledge of complex global supply chains and unique ability to convene partners across sectors to swiftly source, purchase, and deliver PPE to those most in need, effectively navigating complex bureaucratic roadblocks around the world. | |||
