WAC Lighting of Port Washington, New York, is donating 500,000 surgical masks to U.S. hospitals, primarily in the New York metropolitan area.
WAC had ordered the masks earlier this year with the intent to donate them to COVID-19 healthcare relief efforts abroad. But as conditions worsened in the U.S., it chose to distribute them here.
The surgical masks are American Society for Testing and Materials Level 3, which provides the highest fluid resistance, bacterial filtration efficiency and submicron particle filtration efficiency, according to the ASTM.
“Our community well-being lies in the hands of the heroic healthcare providers among us,” says Shelley Wald, WAC president and co-CEO. “Medical personnel and first responders need all the protection and support we can muster, but we cannot do it on our own.”
The masks are being distributed through The Glow Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charity started by WAC founders Tony and Tai Wang.
WAC Lighting is also calling upon others in the community to contribute monetary or in-kind donations.
“Please join our efforts to get supplies to the healthcare professionals on the front line,” says Wald. “Our prayers are with all those fighting this insidious illness and with all the people that love them. Thank you in advance for your kindness, and we hope that you stay safe and well.”
