Mark Vitow Responds to Call for Vital PPE
Mark Vitow Ltd has stepped in to donate hundreds of items of PPE stocks to support healthcare professionals. The company has delivered more than 500 face masks to residential and nursing homes and care providers across the UK, having joined forces with the crowdfunding website ‘FindThe Masks’.
Based in Hertfordshire, the family-run business supplies plumbing and heating merchants across the UK and recently celebrated its 30th anniversary. Its donation of PPE is part of a coordinated effort by national trade body the Builders Merchants Federation (BMF) appealing for donations of PPE for the healthcare sector across its membership.
“It has been a challenging time for individuals and businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic but we are proud to have been able to safely continue our operations thanks to the strength of our staff and partnerships with suppliers and customers alike,” says Rachel Pead, operations director. “We continue to support the key workers in our industry and are glad to have played a very small part in providing PPE to the heroes providing crucial care to those in need during these unprecedented times.”
FindTheMasks, which was originally developed by tech volunteers in the US, is now being rolled out in the UK as well as a number of other countries across the world. It is led by a global team of volunteers – supported by sponsors including Google – who are working to build a comprehensive database of PPE needs during the COVID-19 pandemic.
UK lead Drew Hunt explains: “We are so pleased to see Mark Vitow Ltd find our site so soon after our launch. Since then, they have made several donations to locations currently listed on FindTheMasks. It is great to see so many businesses making a fantastic effort in supporting those frontline workers who are facing difficulties with sourcing PPE, and it has been truly humbling to see so many people coming together to support those in need.”
Care providers who are struggling to source PPE can head over to the website (www.findthemasks.com/uk/) and click ‘I Need PPE’. This allows the organisation to capture vital information regarding the items most in need, as well as geographical locations and delivery details.
