Since opening in March, the public donation drop-off station near the Maple Street Correctional Center in Redwood City collected over 200,000 gloves, 5,000 individual N95 masks and KN95 masks, 1,650 face coverings and nearly 13,000 surgical masks to support COVID-19 frontliners. Opened to respond to a shortage of personal protective equipment, or PPE, the donation site has now closed as donations have tapered, “likely because residents had donated all available items,” according to the county.
“Closing the drop-off site allows staff to be redirected to higher priorities,” the county said in a statement Tuesday.
The county thanked the community for the generosity, saying the smaller individual donations augmented large-scale donations by private and government entities and county-bought PPE, according to the statement.
“The outpouring of compassion and charity shown by San Mateo County residents is inspiring and a true testament that we are a county of people who take care of each other,” said Parks Director Nicholas Calderon, who managed the drop-off site. “To see residents take the time to gather items, drive to the site and hand them over with a smile was heartwarming.”
Still have PPE to donate? You can do so by contacting the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) watch officer at (650) 779-9375.
Photo credit: San Mateo County
