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Berks nonprofit raises thousands to equip first responders with protective gear

  • Rachel McDevitt/StateImpact Pennsylvania
Members of the Reading Chinese Association drop off a donation of personal protective equipment for Reading Hospital workers on Wednesday, April 8, 2020.

 Courtesy Tower Health

Members of the Reading Chinese Association drop off a donation of personal protective equipment for Reading Hospital workers on Wednesday, April 8, 2020.

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(Harrisburg) — A midstate nonprofit that promotes Chinese culture has raised more than $16,000 to equip first responders with protective gear.

The Reading Chinese Association is using the money to buy masks and gloves for hospital staff, police and firefighters in Berks County to keep them safe from the coronavirus.

Berks County has seen 416 coronavirus cases and 7 deaths as of Wednesday.

President Changfa Yang said the group sent a small donation to China as it dealt with the COVID-19 outbreak in January.

“Now the virus has come to our area, to our community,” he said. “So, we think it’s our responsibility to support our local hospital.”

On Wednesday, the group donated 9,600 surgical masks, 300 N95 masks, and 4,000 pairs of latex-free gloves Tower Health’s Reading Hospital. It previously donated 80 N95 masks to Reading Hospital Rehabilitation at Wyomissing and 120 N95 masks to Respiratory Specialists.

Courtesy Reading Chinese Association

A member of the Reading Chinese Association hands off a donations of protective equipment to the Western Berks Ambulance Association on Wednesday, April 8, 2020.

“The donation…from the Reading Chinese Association will ensure the safety of our frontline staff as they provide lifesaving care to our patients,” said Mark McNash, Tower Health Vice President of Support Services. “We continue to be humbled by the support and generosity of the community as we all navigate this difficult situation together.”

Yang said it was initially hard to find enough protective gear, due to the current high demand, but noted association members turned to family and friends in China who have been helpful in finding supplies.

Yang added he’s impressed by the response from the community.

“For example, we have a couple of Chinese restaurants and they had [a] very [large] impact because of the virus, because they have been closing for a couple weeks but they still donate thousands of dollars,” he said.

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