On Tuesday May 26, 2020 morning, a team of Rotary Club of Richmond members including President Henry Lee, Secretary Hugo Li, President-elect James Kao, Dave Rogers, Jimmy Yan, and Assistant Governor Dean Hsieh headed out for the delivery of the last four boxes of 7,200 disposable face masks.
The first stop was Pinegrove Place in Richmond. Pinegrove Place is a licensed long-term care facility to provide nursing care for individuals with complex care needs. Their residents are individuals who are no longer able to live independently at home. In addition to 24 hour nursing care, Pinegrove Place provide all meals, laundry and housekeeping services as well as recreation, pastoral care, art therapy and music therapy programs along with other social activities.
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The second recipient was Richmond Grace Seniors Home. The senior home offers senior residents independent living options as well as a variety of amenities and services. Elderly residents under the care as well as caregivers are in great need of face masks during the time of crisis.
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Then the delivery team headed north to Vancouver. 1,800 face masks was donated to the Louis Brier Home & Hospital through the Louis Brier Jewish Aged Foundation. The Louis Brier Home and Hospital provides 24-hour care to seniors within a supportive and caring community, consistent with Jewish values and traditions. It is now a home to over 200 residents and is in contract with the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority.
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Last but not least, the destination of this delivery was the North Shore Multicultural Society ("NSMS") in North Vancouver. NSMS is dedicated to building a harmonious and inclusive North Shore community that helps immigrants and refugees integrate successfully into life in Canada. NSMS typically serves approximately 5,000 clients a year. Due to the pandemic, NSMS is in desperate need of face masks so that it can safely open its office to support vulnerable immigrant individuals who do not have access to services due to technology challenges.
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In total, the Rotary Club of Richmond has reached out to over twenty organizations in lower mainland since April and ten of them became our final donees. Though our donees received masks from the Rotary Richmond Foundation, the supply of 14,400 masks for ten organizations is far from being adequate. (see 1st part donations)
Canada's Chief Public Health Officer, Dr. Theresa Tam, announced a new and official directive on May 20 "recommending Canadians wear non-medical face masks in situations where physical distancing is not possible." The need for masks is created by the pandemic and will dissipate only if the pandemic gets successfully contained.