Surgical masks for hospitals - we can help PPE
Update: As of April 3, this campaign has raised over $20,000, placed 50 orders, and shipped over 20,000 masks to nurses and doctors at hospitals across the country. Special attention and priority is given to hospitals where nurses/doctors do not have the proper PPE to stay safe as they work hours treating COVID patients and saving lives.
Our campaign was featured in an article in The NY Times on 3/26: “GoFundMe Confronts CoronaVirus Demand”
And in a article in Medium on 3/25:
Elon Musk is One of the Many Heroes We Need to Help Fight the Corona Virus
We are proud to be a part of the National PPE Coalition
Who Am I and Why Did I Start This Campaign?
My name is Kelly Angard ; I am a recent two time Stage 3 breast cancer survivor, artist & photographer living in Denver, Colorado. Because of my recent cancer experiences, I have a deep appreciation for the hard work and dedication that nurses and doctors put in every day to save lives.
The reality and danger of the CoronaVirus here in the U.S. made me feel not only anxious, but helpless. Being an artist, I was going to make masks, but I thought that if I could source masks online and ship hundreds of them directly to Hospitals in dire need within 7 days, I could help more people in need than I could by making masks.
How Does This Campaign Help Hospitals, Nurses and Doctors in dire need?
I realized that many nurses and doctors were in IMMEDIATE need for masks and other protective wear while waiting for large shipments to arrive. Unfortunately, large orders shipped from overseas get held up in customs and take approximately 12-20 days from time of shipment to arriving at hospitals in need. Because of this, I decided to make the focus of this campaign as a “gap filler” for those hospitals in dire need of PPE while they wait for large orders to arrive.
I work with overseas suppliers who are willing to sell small batches (400-800) of both surgical and KN95 masks, and ship DIRECTLY TO HOSPITALS in dire need. Shipments are sent via Fed Ex International Priority which gets the masks to their destination in 5 to 6 days. Small batch shipments do not get held up in customs which allows me to meet the goal of being a “gap filler” for those on the frontline in dire need.
How Does This Campaign Provide Transparency for Every Donated Dollar?
Purchase Orders which detail product amount/cost and hospital destination, along with screenshots of Fed Ex delivery confirmations are posted every 2-3 days under the section titled “Updates”.
A spreadsheet containing information about every donated dollar spent is available upon request.
How Can You Help?
Donations in any amount are not only appreciated, they are valued! At approximately .50 cents per surgical mask and $1.50 per KN95 mask, every dollar counts!
You can also help by sharing this campaign across all of your social media platforms This is not a short term campaign...we will be here during the months ahead, ready to help fill the gaps as long as donations continue to come in.
A very special thank you to two team members who have joined me in the past week:
Carolyn (@opinionatedeye) from Michigan, and Cole (@coleadamsdavis) from Baton Rouge, LA. Both have provided countless hours promoting this campaign and finding hospitals that are in dire need of supplies. Thank you from my heart!
And THANK YOU to all of your for your support and donations!
