Twin Cities get 250,000 PPE items donated
LEOMINSTER » Mascon Medical donated more than 250,000 PPE items including masks, gowns, face shields, goggles, hand sanitizing wipes and electrostatic sprayers to Leominster and Fitchburg Emergency Management on Tuesday.
“As we approached the holiday season I listened to some superintendents from hard hit communities on our bi-weekly calls talk about how devastated their communities have been and unable to reopen schools and how families are just trying to make ends meet,” said John
Chen, president and CEO of Mascon Inc., the parent company of Mascon Medical. “I strongly felt that we had to help where we could. I spoke to my wife, family, team and advisory board. We all agreed that we should do what we can to help.”
To date Mascon has donated over $850,000 worth of PPE, over 1.5 million pieces, to communities in the commonwealth.
The two emergency management departments will split the six and a half pallets of donated PPE to distribute to organizations and residents throughout Leominster and Fitchburg.
“We were completely in awe to find out that this kind of donation can be made,” said Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella at the PPE presentation at
Leominster Emergency Management on Carter Street. “This is a windfall for us, and it’s coming at a perfect time. This is going to change our day, week, month and holidays.”
Mazzarella said volunteers will set up in neighborhoods in the communities “so everyone has access to” the PPE; they will provide instructions including how long a mask can be used for.
“We did this in the past and our numbers dropped,” he said. “We encourage businesses to reach out to us if you are in a position to help, big or small.”
Fitchburg Mayor Steve DiNatale said they “couldn’t be more thankful for the help.”
“We will certainly put it to good use,” he said.
DiNatale praised the collaboration and teamwork between Leominster and Fitchburg, especially during the pandemic.
“We aren’t the Twin Cities for nothing,” he said.
Leominster Emergency Management is a MEMA point of distribution for PPE and as of last week has distributed 55,000 donated masks to community members.
Director Jim LeBlanc said the Mascon donation “is huge.”
“There will be no lack of PPE in Leominster and the area,” he said. “We will make sure those that need it, including fire and police, will get it.”
Mascon Medical is a subsidiary of Mascon Inc., a leading minority-owned manufacturing and supply chain company out of Woburn with nearly 40 years of industry experience.
“We believe that PPE use and availability is one of the most important items to preventing the spread of COVID,” Chen said. “My family is originally from Taiwan and when I went to a Taiwan in
October, it was truly amazing how well they have the virus under control. Granted they are an island nation, but the protocols they put in place have been very effective. It all started with PPE availability when they first shut down.”
Chen said the PPE donations effort began after Mascon got involved with a K-12 students COVID testing collaborative.
“One of the goals when I got involved was to see how we can make testing equitable for everyone,” he said. “I felt that if some cities could afford it and others could not, it would create an inequitable situation that would lead to larger social issues in the future.”
The company has also donated PPE to Revere, Chelsea and Lawrence, and Chen said they plan to deliver PPE to additional communities including in Western Mass. and the
South Shore over the coming weeks.
“Mascon Medical recognizes the challenges for many communities to meet the PPE and infection control needs of their citizens and wants to help those communities in any way possible,” Chen said.
“Since the inception of the COVID-19 pandemic breakout, Mascon Medical has dedicated its operations to help unprepared communities, hospitals, testing labs, and private organizations fight the spread of the deadly, global virus.”