An East Toronto storage facility is helping to collect personal protective equipment (PPE) in a campaign that has the support of Canadian women’s hockey legend Hayley Wickenheiser and actor Ryan Reynolds.
The drive to collect the equipment will be centred out of the XYZ Storage facility at 459 Eastern Ave. (between Booth and Logan avenues) this Saturday, April 11, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
It is being organized by the group Conquer COVID-19 which is a group of “physicians, business leaders, entrepreneurs, and other volunteers who are working together to ensure frontline workers responsible for the health and wellbeing of Canadians have access to masks, gloves, and other supplies that are essential in treating patients and minimizing the spread of the virus.”
The group is working to connect organizations in need with donated PPE items.
Most needed PPE items are masks/respirators, face shields, baby monitors with audio functions, tablets, mask making materials, and diapers and formula for women’s shelters.
Toys ‘R’ Us has already donated 2-way baby monitors for communications, and Volvo is providing vehicles to help transport supplies.
High-level support for the campaign has also come from Wickenheiser, four-time Olympic gold medal winner with the Canadian women’s hockey team, and actor Reynolds.
Wickenheiser, who is now in medical school, Tweeted out her support for the group recently. She said she will personally pick up donations and would even provide signed hockey sweaters and other memorabilia to help encourage donations.
She said she got behind the campaign after hearing “desperate pleas from from my front line friends in Toronto.”
Reynolds also showed his support for the campaign by encouraging people who have PPE to donate and join this Saturday’s drive.
For more information on how you can help or get help from Conquer COVID-19, please visit https://www.conquercovid19.ca/
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