As the United States grapples with the spread of the coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, healthcare workers and first responders around the country are concurrently struggling with supply shortages. Specialized face masks, protective suits, medical cotton swabs, and more items are in critical need internationally. To help out in their own local communities, many businesses like Marble.com are doing whatever they can to help out.
This week, natural stone fabricator Marble.com facilitated a donation of more than 1,000 safety masks to the police department in the Bergen County, New Jersey town of Ridgefield Park. Company president Richard Wojtach and the team were inspired to give back after seeing a White House Coronavirus Task Force callout for construction companies to either temporarily suspend their own supply orders or consider donating spare safety gear inventory to those working on the front lines.
Marble.com is headquartered in Ridgefield Park, and has several additional locations concentrated in the area, extending throughout New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. So they decided to start local.
“After seeing various reach-outs from the Vice President [Mike Pence] and other officials, we decided that we have to take part in this community support,” said Tom Wolosik of Marble.com. “We happened to have some N95 masks for our own production, and we wanted to donate what we could to the police department.”
N95 respirators are a common sight on construction sites and high-dust facilities like Marble.com’s own stone countertop fabrication factory, as they protect wearers from both airborne and liquid hazardous particles.
In these trying times, local businesses are being called upon to keep their community-first mission strong.
“We wanted to help out and keep our first responders safe,” said Walter Bilyakovskyy, an employee of Marble.com. “So we donated the stuff we have so they can keep helping our community.”
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