Nearly one million people in the US have been diagnosed with the COVID-19 disease and over 50,000 have lost their lives – and the numbers continue to grow. Although it is a trying time for society, stories of communities and individuals coming together continue to inspire all.
In the words of the late president of India A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, “When we tackle obstacles, we find hidden reserves of courage and resilience we did not know we had.” Many individuals are fighting the pandemic directly as healthcare workers and frontline responders, while others are serving society as ordinary volunteers doing extraordinary things.
A global pandemic requires a global effort, and BAPS Charities has mobilized is volunteers throughout the world including the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, South Africa, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, New Zealand, Australia, and India. Through grassroots efforts across each one of these countries, BAPS Charities and its affiliated organizations have endeavored to support local healthcare workers, hospitals, police and fire departments, seniors, children, as well as the most vulnerable individuals.
Key pillars of BAPS Charities’ efforts include donations of personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical facilities, first responders and essential workers, ensuring food availability for those affected or at-risk, providing assistance for essential equipment needed at hospitals, as well as assistance to organizations dealing with mental health and well-being.
PPE Donations:
From the initial assessment of the pandemic, volunteers found that PPE, surgical masks in particular, have been in shortage. Immediately BAPS Charities mobilized volunteers to provide for 5,000 N95 respiratory masks to some of the hardest hit hospital systems in the New York / New Jersey area. Joseph Chirichella, President and CEO of Deborah Heart and Lung Center in Burlington County, New Jersey, called the donation a “wonderful gift at a critical time.” In another instance, BAPS Charities donated 5,000 surgical masks to Washington Hospital in Fremont, California. Kimberly Hartz, Chief Executive Officer of Washington Hospital Healthcare System accepted the donation and remarked, “It is so important to ensure the safety of our patients and our staff, and this donation helps a lot… For BAPS Charities to think about us means a lot. We have wonderful people working here, but we couldn’t do it without all the community support.”
Across the nation, BAPS Charities volunteers additionally recognized the need for PPE and other supplies amongst first responders such as police officers. In Massachusetts, BAPS Charities donated surgical masks, N95 masks, and hand sanitizer across the police departments of three cities – Lowell, Tyngsborough, and Chelmsford, Massachusetts. “We are deeply touched by this initiative and grateful for BAPS Charities stepping up to help out during this critical time. Such strong support is not only imperative to our response but a great morale boost for our staff,” said a representative of the Lowell Police Department.
Total PPE donated (USA): 49,300
This includes N95 and other surgical level masks, nitrile gloves, bottles of hand sanitizers, protective eyewear / face shields, and other PPE.
Hot Food for Healthcare workers and Care Packages for Seniors:
As frontline medical workers toil and strain to care for those severely affected by COVID-19 in hospitals, it becomes imperative that their own health and well being is kept well. BAPS Charities provided hot food packages to these heroes. In addition, volunteers also reached out to provide care packages and food donations to vulnerable and affected families across the country. These hot food deliveries, care packages, as well as canned food donations have been organized from coast to coast. In the greater Atlanta area, BAPS Charities, in collaboration with BAPS Shayona, delivered 1,000 care packages to many senior citizens and families. In addition, over 900 pounds of canned food were donated to the Gwinnett County School system to help provide necessary daily nutrition to many students who are dependent on school meals.
In Chicago, Illinois, over 400 food packages were donated across various hospitals including, Central DuPage Hospital, St. Alexius Medical Center, and Alexian Brother Medical Center. At St. Alexius Medical Center, Michelle Johnston RN described what the donation would mean to hospital staff, saying, “The donations we get as a staff team truly keeps us going. With every meal provided to us from the community, we are reminded that there are so many people who care about us.”
In Los Angeles, California, 7,500 hot meals, packaged snacks and beverages we served to frontline workers. Hilda L. Solis, Los Angeles County Supervisor, notes: “The employees at Queen of the Valley Hospital in West Covina are the heroes of this moment. I thank BAPS Charities for providing meals to the hospital staff.”
Total food and care packages delivered (USA): 26,000
This includes hot vegetarian food, packaged snacks and beverages, essential supplies
Assisting Hospitals in Need of Equipment, and Other Support Organizations
In other situations, to serve hospitals in need of equipment, BAPS Charities recognized that financial assistance was the best way to provide support. In Dallas County, Texas, BAPS Charities donated $10,000 to the Parkland Hospital Foundation. David Lopez, Chief Operating Officer at Parkland Hospital expressed his appreciation: “We here at Parkland appreciate BAPS Charities and their donation… Donations of this nature go a long way to really allow us to meet community needs!”
In addition, organizations who serve the mental health and well-being of their communities were key beneficiaries of BAPS Charities’ financial assistance. In the greater Dallas, Texas area, BAPS Charities donated $7,500 across local community support organizations including Irving Cares, Brighter Tomorrows, and the Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) of Texas. Kyle Tyler, Chief Executive Officer of Irving Cares, shared his gratitude: “This donation to Irving Cares will help Irving residents who are directly impacted by COVID-19. Your support for the community that you live in has changed the lives of residents here locally but has also made an impact globally. I want to thank BAPS Charities for helping to improve the lives of all peoples around the globe!”
Cumulative donations to hospitals, mental health and other support organizations (USA): $32,500
Nilkanth Patel, President of BAPS Charities expressed his views on the relief efforts: “We sincerely commend and thank all of the volunteers who have spent countless hours in providing relief and support to the true heroes – the first responders and healthcare professionals fighting to save lives affected by COVID-19. Our volunteers have exemplified the spirit of service by being able to support these frontline heroes as needed. This is a global pandemic. We need everyone to do their part, because ultimately we are stronger together.”
In addition to the relief efforts in USA, BAPS Charities Canada has donated over 13,000 PPE to support 13 hospitals, in addition to delivering over 3,200 food packages in 43 cities. In the UK, over 9,900 meals have been delivered. In India, volunteers have provided over 4 million meals in addition to 1.7 million vegetables and 2.8 million Kgs of grains for sustenance during the nationwide lockdown.
For further details about the above efforts and information regarding supporting the ongoing BAPS Charities COVID-19 visit the following links.
Global Relief Work: https://www.baps.org/covid19
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