All inmates at San Mateo County jails received their own bottle of hand sanitizer thanks to a the Science Policy Group at UCSF (SPG).
SPG recently donated 1,000 bottles of hand sanitizer to the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office as part of their mutual aid project to help fight the spread of COVID-19 among vulnerable populations living and working in the Bay Area. The sheriff’s office said it evenly distributed them between the Maguire Correctional Facility and Maple Street Correctional Center. When the bottles begin to run low, SPG has offered to refill them. Inmates have been instructed to notify a deputy when this happens.
On April 12, SPF launched a GoFundMe campaign to procure supplies and manufacture and distribute the sanitizer for vulnerable populations, including those who are incarcerated or without permanent housing. The project has received funding from Democratic Socialists of America-SF and California Wellness Foundation, along with former NFL star running back Marshawn Lynch, who donated 110 gallons of hand sanitizer.
As of today, the project has reached 15,000 people in jails in prisons. Hand sanitizers have gone to the Sunnydale & Oakdale Housing projects, and incarcerated populations in San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Marin, Sonoma, Napa, Solano, and Sacramento County.
Every $10 donate to the mutual aid project can provide 20 people in with hand sanitizer. To donate to SPG, click here.
Photo credit: SPG GoFundMe page
