Asian Americans Contribute
When $3 Million Plus Matters
Asian American organizations from the Houston area collected 1,690,357 pieces of Personal Protective Equipment for Houston’s frontline workers. From ordinary lives to joining the supply and distribution chain there was much to be learned and accomplished. On their journey to support the COVID-19 efforts, 69 different groups used their tenacity and dedication to find as much of the best available PPE. Often they used their personal contacts outside of the US to procure items. The total dollar value of all items collected and financial donations was over $3,000,000. The PPE was given to more than 155 organizations including, hospitals, police departments, first responders, city governments, and other facilities with essential workers. The youngest team members added touches of love and color with cheerful drawings attached to boxes of PPE that were delivered.
“What can I really do to help?” was on the mind of Houston’s own fashion designer Chloe Dao. A story on NPR inspired her to use her studio as a production zone for cloth masks to give away. She used her supplies and paid her staff as they cut and stitched at least 1000’s of masks that were given to first responders and private individuals. During the peak of their sewing frenzy her staff worked from home, some staff clocked in 118 hours a week.
Noel Huang and Leo Cai brainstormed how they could best help during the crisis and formed Houston Asian Volunteers. With the non-profit as a framework, they reached out to fellow Asian Americans who began finding suppliers of PPE from around the globe. The PPE was distributed at participating restaurants where individuals and representatives of organizations came to pick up the much-needed supplies. “We are locals helping locals, we wanted to do our part,” said Noel Huang.
Amy and Brian Liu teenage siblings knew they had to do something to help, so they began researching how to get surgical masks. They studied and compared vendors to secure the best quality masks they could find. Once they had the masks, they set out on foot delivering them to their neighbors at no cost. After two days of walking, they decided to hold a mask stand on a busy corner of their neighborhood giving away the remainder of their masks.
Houston’s Asian Americans heard the call to support the COVID-19 crisis and stepped up to the plate as part of the solution. Some were born in the United States while others made the trek to becoming a part of the American fabric through immigration. Living the American dream, pursuing goals, building wealth, attending worship services, raising their families, and all other typical American behaviors were the daily routines of Asian Americans when the crisis struck all of us. Naturally, they followed the generous, community spirit of giving just like all other Americans in lending their support to the COVID-19 crisis.
1.7M PPE Items “Stay Safe Houstonians!” 155 Recipient Organizations