PHILADELPHIA — Uniform, facility and food services provider Aramark reports it has 250,000 face masks to the American Red Cross.
The masks will be worn by Red Cross staff at blood drives during the COVID-19 pandemic, protecting workers and the volunteer donors who are key to saving lives.
“As COVID-19 continues to impact our nation and the world, there remains a need for supplies and protective gear, like these masks, to allow frontline workers and communities to safely combat this pandemic,” says John Zillmer, CEO of Aramark. “We thank the Red Cross for their heroics and are proud to make this donation as we all continue to come together to do our part to protect one another.”
“Blood donations remain essential to the health of communities,” says Guy Triano, CEO of the American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania. “The Red Cross needs the ongoing support of blood donors and partners like Aramark to ensure blood products are available for patients in need, including those who need surgery, cancer patients or trauma victims.
“These masks will protect our workers as well as our volunteer donors and help save lives.”
Aramark has a long history of working with and donating material aid and financial assistance to the Red Cross during times of great need. Most recently, in April, Aramark partnered with the American Red Cross, the Debra and Leon Black Family, the Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, and Robin Hood to launch “NYC Healthcare Heroes” and provide more than 400,000 packages of food, household and personal care products to NYC hospital staff on the front lines combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, alleviating the burden of having to shop for themselves and their families.
Throughout this coronavirus pandemic, Aramark says it has been working harder than ever to provide food and resources to employees and communities feeling the impact:
- In keeping with its 84-year history of answering the call for assistance in times of need, Aramark redeployed its Uniform Services division production lines in order to manufacture essential personal protective equipment (PPE) for the heroes working in hospitals and in other critical roles across the United States.
- In the communities Aramark serves, employees have banded together at hospitals, schools and other facilities, providing safe and hygienic meals, uniforms, refreshments and facility services. To date, Aramark has donated over 175,000 pounds of food and PPE to local organizations, including 25,000 cloth masks to its Aramark Building Community partners.
- Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, Aramark has safely provided 59 million free meals to students, in nearly 300 school districts across the country, and continues to serve one million meals to school children daily.
- In partnership with the Urban League of Philadelphia, Aramark provided 500,000 meals to qualified recipients in the Philadelphia area throughout the summer.
- This summer, through a partnership with The Common Market, a nonprofit food distributor, Aramark helped coordinate the delivery of 12,000 boxes of fresh, nutritious foods to PA and NJ communities facing food insecurity.
- At healthcare facilities across the country, Aramark opened over 400 on-site ‘pop-up’ grocery stores to serve as a one-stop shop for doctors, nurses and other hospital staff to grab necessities, such as bread, milk, eggs and toilet paper, on their way home.
- Aramark mobilized its emergency relief and large scale event expertise to aid temporary field hospital operations in various cities.
Additionally, as part of its broader 2025 sustainability plan, “Be Well. Do Well.,” Aramark says it is working to reduce inequality, support and grow local communities, and protect the planet.
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