There was a very recent past where face-coverings were not even a thought when it came to our safety. Back in April, as the world was in the middle of the shutdown, it seemed like each day there was a new announcement about another way to “stop the spread of Covid-19” and Governor Cuomo made face-coverings mandatory. In order to enter a store or be in a public setting that you could not properly socially distance, it was now required to cover your face, and right at that time when masks were especially hard to come by. This brought about an added stress, another new “normal” to adjust to. With the latest unfolding, RENU Contracting Restoration and Milburn Flooring could not sit idly by any longer. Immediately they thought about the people whose lives would be impacted the most by this new development and were compelled to do something. If it was difficult for businesses to access masks, what is it like for families in need? People may still have to go to grocery store or have essential needs that would force them out of the house. Looking at their resources and connections they decided to team up with the Promise of Hope Foundation to get a seemingly unattainable, yet essential item into their homes.
It was clear what needed to be done but they were now dealing with a situation that no one had ever experienced before. With many channels forced to shut down and facing extreme limitations, wanting to help wasn’t as easy as it had once seemed. The team got to work calling upon whatever connections they could possibly consider, in order to locate masks. One road led to another, then to another and that continued. They were determined to find them and finally reached a source. The first shipment of masks was delivered. Word was getting around and the need to provide more masks became increasingly evident. This was getting bigger and waiting around was no longer an option. RENU and Milburn sent their trucks to locations in Queens and New Jersey to pick up masks. Time was of the essence.
Now they had masks, but how do they get them into the homes of people experiencing the most challenge? Their dedication to the schools across Long Island made the path to these homes undeniable; the Cover Our Kids Campaign had life. So many student’s worlds were turned upside down and it was time to do something to help them, and their families. Throughout the shutdown many families still relied on schools to provide meals and there lay the opportunity.
Promise of Hope Foundation supplied a team of volunteers that suited up in full proper PPE and assembled each Ziplock bag containing 5 non-surgical masks that were FDA certified and CE-approved. A logo with the Cover Our Kids campaign logo was placed on each bag and boxed up one-by-one. The masks were delivered by the truck and van load to each school and handed out along with meals to students who were participating in the meal programs provided by the school district.
A total of 213,860 masks (42,772 bags of 5) were distributed throughout the Suffolk, Nassau and Westchester area.
“We are very grateful for their thoughtfulness and generosity, as masks are difficult to get,” said Islip Superintendent Ellen Semel.
This sentiment was repeated throughout communities across Long Island and in Westchester. A lot of work was done in a short amount of time, during unprecedented circumstances, yet the commitment of RENU and Milburn to do something to help the community never wavered.
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