Stanley Black & Decker and the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving say they teamed to donate $100,000 to UConn Health workers combating the deadly COVID-19 coronavirus, according to the Hartford Business Journal.
The New Britain tool and equipment storage manufacturer and the Hartford Foundation each donated $50,000 to help the Farmington healthcare facility purchase personal protective equipment (PPE) and pay for 10 weeks of childcare support and temporary housing for employees while they treat patients with COVID-19, officials announced Monday.
In particular, the donation will provide roughly 30 employees with two local hotel options in an effort to keep their family members safe from potential transmission, said Janel Simpson, chief administrative officer of UConn Health. It also covers the cost of rooms and meals for employees with symptoms who were housed on the Central Connecticut State University campus in New Britain.
Stanley, meanwhile, says its gift includes $2,500 worth of masks, gloves and surface sanitizer provided by the company’s Asian Heritage Network resource group.
The donations from Stanley and the Hartford Foundation are part of previously announced campaigns to support local healthcare communities during the COVID-19 outbreak.
“The impact of these gifts is tremendous,” Simpson said. “For those who are putting their lives on the line, this gave them some peace of mind.”
Jay Williams, president of the Hartford Foundation, said the not-for-profit organization’s funding is especially geared toward Greater Hartford’s most vulnerable communities during the pandemic.
“We know that significant federal resources have come down from the CARES Act, but we also know that health care systems needed flexible dollars to be able to protect their staff and the people that were seeking their services,” Williams said.