The Pennington Chinese American Community (PCAC) rallied together to provide donated personal protective equipment (PPE) to local hospitals and businesses.
Annie Yang said a group of 100 Chinese American residents of Pennington volunteered to secure medical supplies for organizations in need.
“Using various digital platforms, predominantly WeChat, they created extended networks and rallied their contacts in the U.S. and in China to procure supplies for medical professionals and essential facilities,” Yang said. “Some PCAC members reached out to the organizations and facilities where PPE was needed; other members went to multiple homes to collect the donations that families and friends sent to them from overseas.”
She added that some members focused on coordinating the orders with the suppliers from China in order to donate the PPE to the places that needed them the most.
The PCAC collected and donated more than 10,000 masks to area hospitals and organizations, which include the Capital Health Medical Center in Hopewell, Saint Francis Medical Center in Trenton, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Hamilton, Pennington Fire Company Station 51, Pennington First Aid Squad EMT, Trenton Area Soup Kitchen and one local grocery store.
“The contribution of masks was well appreciated by the recipients. The PCAC also posted at Nextdoor (a social networking service) to look after our neighbors to help and support each other in essential needs,” Yang said. “By working together and looking after each other, we can fight and win this invisible war. The PCAC hopes every community stays safe and healthy.”