UniFirst Donates Over $1 Million of PPE to Local Food Bank

Posted April 23, 2021 at 11:09 am




UniFirst Corp., Wilmington, MA, recently announced a donation of more than $1 million worth of protective face masks and hand sanitizer to The Greater Boston Food Bank (GBFB). As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, personal protective equipment (PPE) and other materials are essential to help ensure safe and healthy transportation and distribution of emergency food and supplies to those in need across Eastern Massachusetts, according to a news release.

UniFirst’s donation includes 500,000 disposable masks, nearly 200,000 reusable face masks and more than 120,000 bottles of hand sanitizer. The supplies will be distributed to GBFB’s 600 food distribution partners in 190 cities and towns across the region. This PPE also will be used to help keep GBFB team members and volunteers safe.

“The pandemic has created urgent needs for health and safety precautions, and it has also reinforced the importance of community support – two missions that are essential to our business,” said Steven Sintros, UniFirst president and CEO. “The work that Feeding America and The Greater Boston Food Bank are doing in our community and across the U.S. is inspiring, and we’re proud to provide resources that will make it easier and safer for their team members to continue their important efforts.”

This donation is the latest in UniFirst’s ongoing national efforts in 2020 and 2021 that has provided hundreds of thousands of protective face masks and significant supplies of hand sanitizer and other PPE in support of small business revitalization across North America.

“Keeping employees and volunteers at GBFB’s partner food pantries and direct distribution sites safe is of paramount importance so they can continue serving over double the number of clients served since the beginning of the pandemic,” said Catherine D’Amato, president and CEO at GBFB. “We’re incredibly grateful for UniFirst’s generosity in providing these necessary protective items to help ensure that GBFB and our hunger-relief network partners can continue to serve those in need.”

As a member of Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization, GBFB is the largest organization dedicated to providing emergency support through food in New England and among the largest food banks in the country. Last year, GBFB distributed 98.9-million lbs. of healthy food, the equivalent of 82.4-million meals. Recent reports from GBFB food pantry partners show a chronically high demand for emergency food in their region with an average of more than 600,000 people who may be receiving help from a food pantry every month, more than double the number reported prior to the start of the pandemic.

To read the full release, click here.

124