Logistics firms donate PPE for Chicago health and safety workers—Covid-19 roundup, May 19

Transport and logistics firms Gebrüder Weiss and Delta Group Logistics are teaming up to deliver thousands of pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) to health and safety workers in the Chicago area as they continue to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

The companies purchased and have been overseeing the distribution of 8,000 facemasks and 1,000 face shields to various organizations and companies in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. A majority of the face shields donated will go directly to Springfield, IL, to help stock the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' State Surplus Warehouse so that shields are ready when they are needed, the companies said.

“Our teams understand how critical PPE is to the health and safety of our own warehouse workers. Being a family-owned company, we wanted to do more to help take care of the community,” Mark McCullough, CEO of Gebrüder Weiss USA, said in a statement announcing the donations. “As soon as we had the opportunity to source face masks and face shields that we could deliver to the community, we moved on it. There is an immense need for PPE, and we are happy that we can make a small difference.”

Gebrüder Weiss and Delta Group Logistics will continue distributing PPE to more area healthcare facilities and front-line workers over the next few weeks, the companies also said. 

“I'm really delighted that we're able to partner with Gebrüder Weiss to donate PPE to the Elk Grove Police Department, the Illinois Truck Association and many of the healthcare facilities that have been hit so hard in the city's 2nd Ward,” said Goran Mamic of Delta Group Logistics. “We are doing what we can as members of the logistics community, to help people protect themselves and protect others as we start to reactivate the economy.”

In other pandemic-related news: 

• Illinois-based SEKO Logistics is stepping up PPE efforts with donations for frontline workers and by providing additional equipment for its own essential workforce, the company said earlier this month. To date, SEKO Logistics has distributed more than 28,000 face masks and 138,000 gloves to its frontline teams in North America, along with additional PPE kits for its MedTec drivers, which support medical deliveries nationwide. That comes on top of a pledge to donate $200,000 for the purchase of PPE for healthcare workers treating Covid-19 patients around the country. The efforts are part of its SEKO CARES program, launched in April. “SEKO CARES is not just about making a financial donation to a very important and critical cause, it’s also about using our expertise in the MedTec sector to manage these supply chains from pick-up to final-mile delivery. The PPE we are donating only has an effect if it reaches those who need it quickly and securely, and to do that we must equally protect our own frontline teams who are doing such an outstanding job for us and our clients. The health and wellbeing of our people and our business go hand-in-hand and we take this responsibility very seriously,” said company President and CEO James T. Gagne.
• The Virginia Maritime Association (VMA) is sponsoring a “Sound Off” to honor supply chain heroes this Wednesday, May 20, at 12 p.m. at the Port of Hampton Roads and supply chain industries statewide. The 30-second horn blast is part of the #SupplyChainHeroes movement. Organizers invite operators of moored commercial ships, tugs, parked commercial trucks and railroad locomotives, terminals and shipyards, warehouses, and industry services to participate. “This audible show of appreciation honors the tens of thousands of essential workers—on the water, on the terminals and shipyards, on roads and rail, and in the warehouses—risking exposure on the frontline during this pandemic,” said VMA CEO David White. “These heroes are ensuring the delivery of vital medical supplies, essential household goods, and other supplies to protect us and keep our economy moving forward.”

To see further coverage of the coronavirus crisis and how it's affecting the logistics industry, check out our Covid-19 landing page. And click here for our compilation of virus-focused websites and resource pagesfrom around the supply chain sector.