Apr 3, 2020

Goodwill Industries partners with local hospitals to collect and distribute protective gear for health care workers

PRESS RELEASE

MUSKEGON, MI — Goodwill Industries of West Michigan (GIWM) is partnering with Spectrum Health, Mercy Health, and the Muskegon County Health Department for the collection and distribution of community donations of protective gear in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Goodwill reopened seven of its donation drive-thrus to serve as designated donation drop-off sites for urgently needed personal protective equipment (PPE) such as N95 masks/surgical masks, isolation masks, bouffant caps, isolation gowns, gloves, as well as bleach/disinfectant wipes, and more.

“During this crisis, our recycling and sustainability partner, Spectrum Health, reached out to see if we could help with their need to re-distribute PPE,” said Goodwill President and CEO Jeanette Hoyer. “As a result, several weeks ago we began lending our trucks and drivers to assist with pick up and distribution of their medical supplies. This led to converting our now-idle retail donation sites into designated PPE collection sites and expanding our efforts to include Mercy Health and the Muskegon Health Department.”

Area hospitals and health care facilities are currently overwhelmed caring for patients. Diverting community donations of PPE and other supplies to Goodwill locations relieves some of the chaos and also helps keep the community safe. Goodwill employees are sorting and distributing the donations based on the guidelines and locations provided by its partners.

“These are trying times for our hospitals and broader community,” said Kurt Knoth, vice president, system supply chain and security services, Spectrum Health. “We appreciate Goodwill Industries of West Michigan’s collaboration and quick response to help us collect the critically needed PPE supplies.”

Goodwill donation drive-thrus open exclusively for health care supplies are located at: 1422 W. Main St., Fremont; 1112 Robbins Rd., Grand Haven;  4781 US-10, Ludington;  393 E. Lakewood Blvd., Holland; 1169 Whitehall Rd., North Muskegon; 1934 E. Sherman Blvd., Muskegon; and 1484 E. Ellis Rd. Norton Shores. Hours of operation are Tuesday through Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Goodwill asks donors to follow social distancing and place items in the bin provided at each location. 

A compiled list of items needed are: N95 masks, isolation masks (adult/child), CAPR masks, masks with face shield/visor, face shields (commercially manufactured), goggles/safety glasses, bouffant caps, extended extra protection gloves, isolation (ISO) gowns, bleach wipes, swabs (flexible mini-tip), pocket-sized sanitizers, thermometers (digital, disposable, temporal), and powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) supplies.  Handmade protective masks are also accepted. Please follow the instructions in this informative video to ensure safety and quality.

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